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Email signature size: how large a signature can be

A signature is measured by how much of the thread it takes. On a first email, a full footer earns its place: who you are, and how to reach you. On a reply, that same footer repeats under every new sentence, so the short version is the one that holds up.

Reply
One or two lines. Name, role, and one way to write back.
First mail
A full signature. A logo or a photo, email, phone, website, and a few social icons.
Limit
Gmail stops at 10,000 characters, and an image counts. Resize it if the editor complains. A long HTML message can also be clipped around 102 KB — that is separate from the picture file. Pixel sizes for the logo and photo are in email signature dimensions.
Leave out
A banner, a disclaimer longer than the mail, and every social icon the company has.

Examples

Leapyear  
Jordan Hale
Design Director
Leapyear
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A full signature. The right size for a first email.
Alexandra Chen  
Alexandra Chen
Head of Product
Northstar
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A full signature with a photo. Still a footer, not a second message.
Maya Stone
Maya Stone
Product Lead
Northwind
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The large end. Fine on the first mail, heavy once replies stack.
 
Sam Rivera | Account Manager
Meridian Studio
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A short signature. The size to use on replies.
Jordan Hale | Design Director
Meridian Studio
[email protected]+1 (415) 555-0198meridian.co
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Still short. Contacts as a single band under the name.
Maya Stone|Product Lead|Northwind
[email protected]·+1 (415) 555-0198·northwind.co
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One line. The smallest size that still says who you are.

Questions

What is a good email signature size?

A short one on replies: name, role, and one way to write back. A full one on the first email, with a logo or photo, contacts, and a few social icons.

Does a big image file clip the email?

Gmail clips long HTML, around 102 KB, not the file size of a hosted image. Pasting a huge picture into the signature can still hit the 10,000-character limit.

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