Definition
Just as web developers use CSS resets to smooth out browser differences, email developers use a reset to handle the quirks of each email client. Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail, and Samsung Mail each interpret CSS differently, and a reset ensures your email starts from a consistent baseline.
Common Reset Rules
body { margin: 0; padding: 0; }
table { border-collapse: collapse; }
img { border: 0; outline: none; display: block; }
p { margin: 0; padding: 0; }
- Set
bodymargin and padding to 0 - Collapse table borders
- Remove default image borders and gaps
- Reset paragraph spacing
Why It Matters
Without a reset, your email can look different — sometimes broken — in different clients. Outlook adds padding around images. Gmail strips certain CSS properties. A reset catches these inconsistencies before they affect your design.
Related Glossary Terms
Accessible CTA (Email)
An accessible CTA is a button or link coded with sufficient colour contrast, visible focus states, descriptive screen-reader text, and a minimum touch target of 44×44 pixels.
AMP for Email
AMP for Email is a Google-developed framework that allows email messages to include interactive elements like forms, carousels, accordions, and live content. It turns static emails into dynamic, interactive experiences directly inside the inbox.
Dark Mode
Dark mode in email refers to how email clients render messages when the recipient has dark mode enabled. It affects colour display, image rendering, and readability. Designers use CSS media queries and hybrid coding techniques to control the dark mode appearance.
Drag-and-Drop Email Editor
A drag-and-drop email editor is a visual interface that allows marketers to build email layouts by dragging content blocks into place without writing HTML or CSS code.
Dynamic Content
Dynamic content in email refers to content blocks that change based on subscriber data, behavior, or preferences within a single email send.
Email Accessibility Guidelines
Email accessibility guidelines ensure emails are usable by people with disabilities, following WCAG standards for screen readers, colour contrast, keyboard navigation, and readable content.