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General information about Signature Manager for Gmail
Jacobo Lopez
By Jacobo Lopez and 1 other
• 9 articles

What is Signature Manager for Gmail™?

Signature Manager for Gmail™ is an email signature management tool developed by HiView Solutions, a Google-certified Partner. It is designed to create and manage email signatures across an entire organization. Workspace administrators can centrally create, update, and deploy brand-perfect email signatures. With Signature Manager, Workspace admins can ensure every email from your organization stays on-brand. How do I get started with Signature Manager? 1. Install the app in the Google Workspace Marketplace https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/signature_manager_for_gmail/1026084253840 NOTE: Only Workspace Super Admins can install Signature Manager for Gmail. 2. Sign into the app at https://signaturemanagerapp.com/signup 3. Create and Manage your users’ Gmail signatures! Here’s a video to help you get started. How do I subscribe to the Premium plan or upgrade my current subscription? You can upgrade to the Premium plan by accessing the “Settings” within the Signature Manager application:  https://signaturemanagerapp.com/signup For pricing information, please visit: https://signaturemanagerapp.com/ What are the key differences between the Free and Premium plans of Signature Manager? The main differences between the Free and Premium plans of Signature Manager come down to flexibility, scale, branding, and administrative control. 1. Template Deployment - Free: Signatures must be applied manually to each user, one at a time, which can be time consuming for larger teams. - Premium: Enables bulk deployment by Google Group or Organizational Unit, allowing admins to push a template out to all users at once. 2. Branding - Free: Includes a “Powered by HiView Solutions” watermark at the bottom of each signature. - Premium: Removes the watermark for a fully professional, company branded look. 3. Template Management - Free: Limited to one active signature template for the whole company. - Premium: Supports up to 10 active templates, making it easy to create small variations for different departments or teams without losing consistency. 4. Admin Access - Free: Only one admin account can manage signatures for the entire company, creating a bottleneck and dependency on a single person. - Premium: Allows multiple admin accounts, so responsibility can be shared across IT or department leads. 5. Support - Free: No direct support channel included. - Premium: Offers dedicated phone and email support for faster issue resolution.

Last updated on Dec 11, 2025

How do I upload an image?

This guide provides step by step instructions on how to properly get a public URL for an image and add it to your signature template in the Signature Manager. Following these steps ensures your image will be visible to all email recipients. Q1: Why can’t I just upload an image file directly from my computer? The Signature Manager for Gmail requires images to be hosted online with a public, direct URL. This means the image must be accessible on the internet via a third party image storage provider, not just on your personal computer. This process uses Google Photos to host the image and generate the correct type of link. Q2: What are the detailed steps to get the correct image URL? This is a two-part process. First, you will upload the image to Google Photos to generate a public link. Second, you will use that link to find the direct URL needed for the Signature Manager. Part A: Uploading to Google Photos and Creating a Share Link - 1. Open a new browser tab and navigate to photos.google.com. - 2. In the top right corner, click the Upload button and select the image you want to use from your computer. - 3. Once the upload is complete, click on the image to view it. - 4. In the top right corner of the screen, click the Share icon. - 5. A new window will appear. At the bottom, click Create link. - 6. If prompted again, click Create link to confirm. - 7. Once the link is generated, click Copy link. Part B: Finding the Direct Image URL - 1. Open a new browser tab. Paste the link you just copied into the address bar and press Enter. - 2. Your image will appear on the screen. Right-click directly on the image itself. - 3. From the menu that appears, select Open image in new tab. - 4. Navigate to this newly opened tab. The URL in the address bar is the direct link you need. It will typically start with https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/…. - 5. Click on the address bar to select the entire URL, then right-click and select Copy. Q3: How do I add the image to the Signature Manager? - 1. Open the Signature Manager application. - 2. Navigate to the signature template you are editing or create a new one. - 3. In the editor toolbar, click the Insert/edit image icon. - 4. In the window that appears, find the field labeled Source. - 5. Paste the direct image URL you copied in Part B, Step 5. - 6. Click Save. The image should now appear in your signature editor and will be visible in all new emails. You can resize and adjust the image within the editor as needed. Q4: My image is not showing up in my emails. What could be wrong? This usually happens for one of two reasons: - You used the wrong link: You might have pasted the initial sharing link (e.g., a photos.app.goo.gl link) into the Signature Manager instead of the final direct URL. The correct URL is the one you get after selecting “Open image in new tab” and will not be a shortened link. - Pasting Error: Ensure you copied the entire URL from the address bar without missing any characters. Repeat Part B and Part C of the steps to be certain. How do I insert images? Follow these steps: - 1. Go to the Menu tab - 2. Click ‘Insert’ - 3. Click ‘Image’ - 4. Enter a public URL of the image in PNG or JPG formats ie. https://signature.hiviewsolutions.com/assets/hs_logo.png - 5. Click ‘Save’ Once you have inserted the public URL of the image, the editor should auto fill the width and height values but these can be changed if needed. In order to get a public URL for your picture, follow the steps found on the video above.

Last updated on Nov 25, 2025

Using Placeholders (Merge tags)

This guide explains what placeholders (or merge tags) are, how they work with your Google Workspace directory, and how to use them to create dynamic and personalized email signatures. Q1: What are placeholders? Placeholders are special tags, also known as merge tags, that you insert into your signature template. These tags act as stand-ins for employee information. When a signature is applied to a user, the Signature Manager automatically replaces the placeholder with that specific user’s information. For example, a placeholder like employee_name in a template will be replaced by “John Smith” in John’s signature and “Jane Doe” in Jane’s signature. This allows you to create one universal template that is automatically personalized for every employee. Q2: Where does the placeholder information come from? The information is pulled directly from your organization’s Google Workspace directory. Fields like: - Name - Title - Department - Employee ID - Phone Numbers …and more are all sourced from each user’s profile in the Google Workspace Admin console. Important: If a field is not filled out in a user’s Google Workspace profile, the corresponding placeholder will be empty in their signature. The Signature Manager can only display the data that is available. For steps on how to Add information to a user’s Directory profile visit the this Google Workspace Admin Help article. Q3: How do I add placeholders to my signature template? There are two easy methods to add placeholders in the signature editor: - 1. Drag and Drop: - On the side of the editor, you will see a list of available user details (e.g., “Name”, “Title”, “Employee ID”). - Simply click and drag the desired placeholder from the list and drop it into the desired position in your signature template. - 1. Using the ‘Insert Merge Tag’ Button: - Click on the Insert Merge Tag icon in the editor’s toolbar. - A dropdown menu will appear with a complete list of available placeholders. - Click on the placeholder you wish to insert, and it will be added to the template where your cursor is positioned. Q4: How can I preview what the signature will look like with a real employee’s data? The standard editor view shows the placeholder tags themselves (e.g., $${Title}$$). To see a live preview with actual data: - 1. On the right-hand side of the editor, find and click the View employee details button. - 1. A search box will appear. Type in the name of an employee you want to preview. - 1. Select the user from the results. - 1. The signature preview will now update to show that specific employee’s information as it exists in Google Workspace. Q5: An employee’s information is missing in the preview. How do I fix this? If you preview a signature and notice that a field (like “Employee ID” or “Title”) is blank, it means this information has not been entered for that user in Google Workspace. Solution: A Google Workspace administrator must go to the Google Workspace Admin console, find the specific user, and update their profile by filling in the missing information under User information. Once the directory is updated, the Signature Manager will be able to pull the new data and correctly populate the signature.

Last updated on Nov 21, 2025

Why Custom Fonts in Email Signatures Are Limited

Overview You may want your email signature to use your company’s exact brand font. On websites this is easy, but in email it is very different. This article explains, in plain language: - Why custom fonts in email are limited - What works reliably - How fonts behave in our signature templates in this app 1. What is a "custom font" in this context? When we say custom font, we usually mean: - A brand font you use on your website or in your marketing (for example, "Acme Sans", "Gotham", etc.) - A font that does not come pre‑installed on most computers and phones By contrast, standard (or "web‑safe") fonts are things like: - Arial - Times New Roman - Verdana - Tahoma - Georgia These common fonts are installed on almost every device. 2. Why email is not like a web page Your website is shown in modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Edge, etc.). Your emails are shown inside many different "email clients", for example: - Gmail (web and mobile apps) - Outlook (desktop, web, and mobile) - Apple Mail - Older or company‑locked mail apps Each of these email apps has its own rules about what it allows for security and performance reasons. Those rules are much more strict than a normal website. Because of those rules: - Many email apps block or ignore custom fonts loaded from the internet - Some strip out advanced styling completely - Even when something works in one app, it can break or look different in another 3. What Gmail and others actually do with fonts Here is what happens in the most common cases: Gmail (web + mobile) - Does not download custom fonts from the internet - Ignores special font files you might reference in the HTML - It only shows: - Fonts that are already installed on the recipient’s device - Or standard fallback fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, etc. Outlook (especially desktop) - Very strict about what styling it respects - May ignore or fall back from many custom fonts - Behavior can vary between versions and company setups Apple Mail and some others - Support more advanced font options - But your recipients will still only see a custom font if their device has it installed Key takeaway: Even if we configure your signature to "use your brand font", most recipients will not see it unless that font is already installed on their device. In practice, this is rare. 4. What does work reliably? To make sure your signatures look consistent for everyone, we use web‑safe font stacks. These are combinations of common fonts, for example: - Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif - "Times New Roman", Times, serif - Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif - Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif These fonts: - Are installed on almost all computers and phones - Are supported by major email apps (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.) - Give a consistent, professional appearance When we say a font stack like Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, it means: 1. Try Arial 2. If not available, try Helvetica 3. Otherwise fall back to a similar generic font (sans‑serif) This ensures something very close to what you see in our app is what your recipients see too. 5. How this app handles fonts in signatures When you design a signature in this app: - The editor and preview let you choose from a set of email‑safe fonts. - The signature is saved with inline font settings, so email clients that support them will honor those choices. - If you type in or paste a custom font name: - It will be kept in the HTML. - It will only show for people who already have that font installed on their device. - Everyone else will see the next available fallback font (for example, Arial). We may also show a small notice when you use a non‑standard font, explaining that: This font may not appear for all recipients and will fall back to a standard font where it is not available. 6. How to keep your branding strong despite font limits Even with these limitations, you can still have a very on‑brand signature: - Use your brand colors generously Colors are widely supported and help your signature feel like your brand. - Include your logo as an image This is the best way to guarantee your logo and brand typography appear exactly as designed. - Use clean, professional web‑safe fonts Pick the closest standard font that matches your brand’s look (for example, Arial for a modern sans‑serif, Georgia for a classic serif). - Highlight key information with layout, not just font Use spacing, bold text, and alignment to make your name, title, and contact information stand out. 7. Frequently asked questions Can I upload my own font file (for example, .ttf, .otf) so everyone sees it? Short answer: No. Email apps like Gmail and Outlook do not reliably load these files. Even if we added them to the signature, most recipients’ email apps would ignore them. My website uses a special brand font. Why cannot my emails look exactly the same? Websites and emails are rendered in very different environments. - Browsers are flexible and can load fonts from your server. - Email apps are intentionally restrictive. To protect users, they often block or strip the advanced features that websites rely on. So your email signature must work within the limitations of each email client, not just one browser. Sometimes my signature looks slightly different in Gmail versus Outlook. Is that normal? Yes, that is normal. Each email app uses its own text rendering engine and has its own rules, so minor differences in spacing, line height, or font appearance are normal and unavoidable. Will this change in the future? Email standards evolve slowly. If major email providers start to reliably support custom web fonts in a safe way, we will revisit this and may be able to expand what is possible. For now, we prioritize reliable, consistent delivery over features that only work for a small number of recipients. 8. Summary - You cannot reliably force a custom brand font in email signatures across Gmail, Outlook, and other clients. - Standard web‑safe fonts are the only way to ensure your signature looks good for everyone. - This app: - Uses email‑safe font options by default. - Preserves advanced font settings where possible. - Falls back gracefully so your signature always looks professional. - For brand‑critical typography (like your logo), images plus consistent colors are the most dependable solution. If you need help choosing the best font stack for your brand, or want guidance on turning a brand header into an image for your signature, please contact our support team.

Last updated on Dec 17, 2025

Google Integration Guide (Google Workspace + Gmail) — Signature Manager

This guide explains how to connect Signature Manager to Google Workspace, how the integration works “from both sides” (admin + end user), and how to design signatures using placeholders (including conditional logic) for the best possible experience. Who this guide is for - Google Workspace admins who need to deploy consistent Gmail signatures across users. - IT / Operations teams managing Organizational Units (OUs) and Groups. - Signature designers who build templates using placeholders that pull data from Google Directory and Company Information. 1) What Signature Manager connects to in Google Signature Manager integrates with Google Workspace using Domain‑Wide Delegation (DWD) via a Google service account. That allows the system to impersonate users to read Directory profile details and to set each user’s Gmail signature through the Gmail Settings API. What we read from Google (Directory profile fields) The template editor supports user “Details” placeholders based on Google Workspace user profile fields (Admin SDK Directory API). In our app, these fields are used for preview and assignment accuracy: - Name (full name) - Primary email - Job title - Department - Phones (work, mobile, home) - Addresses (formatted / primary) - Employee ID (from external IDs) - Profile photo (thumbnail URL, when available) - Admin flag (used to determine admin eligibility) What we write to Google (Gmail signature) When signatures are applied, Signature Manager updates the user’s Gmail signature using Gmail’s settings endpoint: - Updates signature via Gmail Settings (sendAs.patch) for the target user. 2) Google Workspace requirements (Admin-side) Admin role requirement To connect a Workspace domain and manage signatures at scale, you must sign in with an account that is a Google Workspace administrator. The system checks admin status through Directory. Domain‑Wide Delegation (DWD) is required Because signatures are set for users (often in bulk), your Workspace must allow domain-wide delegation so the service can impersonate users to: - Read Directory data - Write Gmail signatures - (Optionally) handle assets that may be stored/served as part of signature rendering API scopes (what Google must authorize) Your Workspace configuration must permit the service account to use scopes like: - Admin SDK Directory (read-only) - Users, customer, groups, org units, domain - Gmail settings (basic) - To set signatures - Drive scope (used by the backend integration for asset handling in some flows) In plain terms: Directory read + Gmail signature write are the two core requirements for the integration. Marketplace / “installed to everyone” note In some flows, non-admin users may be blocked unless the Workspace has allowed/installed the app appropriately for the org (“installed to Everyone” / permitted in Admin Console). If non-admin users are having trouble joining the org, verify those Marketplace/admin-console settings. 3) What the end user experiences (User-side) Most users don’t need to do anything once the admin has connected and assigned templates. Typical outcomes: - Their signature is applied automatically when the admin assigns a template to them (directly, via group, via OU, or “all users”). - If the admin updates a template and chooses to reapply, the user’s signature updates again. - Users may see changes after automation runs (if automation is enabled on the template). 4) How Signature Manager works in our app (High-level) Step 1 — Choose how to start Admins can create a new signature template by: - Starting from a template - Creating from scratch - Loading from an existing user’s current signature as a starting point Step 2 — Design (the editor + placeholders) This is where you build the signature body (HTML/rich text) and insert placeholders. Key behavior: - You can drag/drop or click placeholders into the editor. - The preview renders placeholders using: - real user data (if you select a Google Workspace user for preview) - otherwise sample data + your organization data (Company Information) Step 3 — Targeting (who gets it) You can assign a template to: - All users (only one active “all users” template is allowed at a time) - Specific users - Groups - Organizational Units (OUs) Step 4 — Save & Assign When saving, you can choose: - Reapply signatures to assigned users immediately - Enable 24-hour automation for ongoing enforcement/updates 5) Placeholders (the most important part) Placeholders let you build one template that renders uniquely per employee. Placeholder syntax: user and company fields Most placeholders look like: - {{employee_name}} - {{employee_email}} - {{employee_title}} - {{company_name}} - {{company_website}} Common “Details” placeholders (Google user profile) - {{employee_name}} (Full name) - {{employee_email}} (Primary email) - {{employee_title}} (Job title) - {{employee_department}} (Department) - {{employee_W_phone}} (Work phone) - {{employee_mobile}} (Mobile) - {{employee_H_phone}} (Home phone) - {{employee_address}} (Address) - {{employee_id}} (Employee ID) Company placeholders (Company Information in the app) These come from the org settings page in Signature Manager: - {{company_name}} - {{company_email}} - {{company_phone}} - {{company_website}} - {{company_address}} - {{company_logoURL}} (logo URL) Social placeholders Social links are stored at the organization level and inserted as icon elements. For email compatibility, the icons must use absolute URLs to render in Gmail. Best practice: Fill your social fields in Company Information so every template has consistent links. 6) Conditional placeholders (avoid ugly blanks) Real directory data is messy: not everyone has a mobile number, job title, department, etc. Conditional blocks prevent broken formatting. Conditional syntax Use: {if employee_title}employee_title{/if} Conceptually, this means: - If employee_title is present, render it. - If it’s empty, render nothing. Examples (recommended patterns) Hide the entire line when missing {if employee_mobile}Mobile: employee_mobile{/if} Hide separators (pipes / bullets) when missing Instead of: {{employee_title}} | {{employee_department}} Use: {if employee_title}employee_title{/if}{if employee_department} | employee_department{/if} (Adjust formatting to your desired style.) Caveat: keep “inside content” simple In our editor/preview logic, conditionals are evaluated by matching the field name and replacing occurrences inside the conditional block. For best results: - Put the field name exactly inside the block (as shown). - Avoid nesting conditionals. - Avoid complex HTML spanning across {if ...} boundaries. 7) Images: profile pictures, QR codes, and company logos Email signatures are sensitive to how images are embedded. Here’s how our app behaves. Company logo - Store the logo URL in Company Information. - Use {{company_logoURL}} in your template, or insert the logo placeholder from the UI. - In preview, the app replaces logo placeholders with the real logo URL when available. Best practices - Use a publicly accessible HTTPS URL - Use a reasonably sized image (email-safe sizes) - Avoid requiring authentication to view the image Employee profile picture The editor can show a placeholder image while designing, but on save the system converts the placeholder back into a token so it can be rendered correctly later. Best practices - Expect some users to have no photo in Directory; pair with conditionals if your design depends on it. - Keep the profile photo size email-friendly. QR codes The editor uses a visual placeholder; before saving it converts back into {{qr}}. Best practices - Ensure the QR code has a clear destination (vCard/contact data or a profile link). - Don’t rely on QR as the only way to contact someone. 8) Targeting strategy (best UX + least admin work) Recommended approach - Use OUs for broad segments (Departments, Regions). - Use Groups for cross-cutting segments (Sales team, Leadership team). - Use Users for exceptions (executives, contractors). “All users” rule Only one active template can be set to “Apply to all users” at once. If you already have an “all users” template active, you’ll need to switch that template to a more specific assignment type before enabling another. 9) Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them) Placeholder mismatch / empty directory fields - Problem: fields render blank or leave awkward punctuation. - Fix: use conditional placeholders for any field that isn’t guaranteed (mobile, title, department, address, home phone, employee ID). Social icons not rendering - Problem: icons show broken images in Gmail. - Fix: icons must use absolute URLs and be publicly accessible. Configure social links in Company Information. Images blocked by Gmail - Problem: Gmail blocks images until the recipient chooses “Display images.” - Fix: this is normal for many recipients. Keep the signature readable even without images (don’t put critical info only in an image). Overly complex HTML / layout breaks - Problem: signature looks great in editor but breaks in Gmail. - Fix: keep layouts simple: - Tables are usually safer than advanced CSS - Avoid complex positioning, scripts, and external CSS 10) Best-practice signature template checklist - Required contact info is text, not only in images. - Conditional blocks used for optional fields: - Mobile - Department - Title - Address - Employee ID - Home phone - Logos/icons use public HTTPS URLs. - No double “all users” templates active. - Preview with real users (pick a user with sparse data and one with full data). 11) Quick “admin setup” checklist (copy/paste) - Confirm you’re signing in as a Workspace admin - Ensure Domain‑Wide Delegation is configured for the service account - Ensure required scopes are authorized (Directory + Gmail settings, etc.) - In Signature Manager: - Set Company Information (logo URL, website, social links) - Build a template using placeholders + conditionals - Assign to Users / Groups / OUs (or All Users) - Enable automation if you want daily enforcement If you want, I can tailor this to your Help Center format Two quick questions so I can finalize it exactly how you want: 1. Do you want it written as “Signature Manager for Gmail” (that name appears in your internal docs), or as “Signature Manager” (general brand)? 2. Should the guide include exact placeholder tables (all keys) in the public article, or keep it “best practices + top placeholders only”? Status - Exploration: completed (placeholders, conditional logic, assignment rules, Google APIs/scopes, signature write method). - Deliverable: draft guide provided above; ready to refine into your final Help Center article based on your preferred naming + level of detail.

Last updated on Dec 30, 2025

Why are my SVG images not showing in Gmail?

This guide explains why Scalar Vector Graphics (.svg) files may appear broken or fail to load when used in email signatures, and provides the recommended solution to ensure your branding is visible to all recipients. Q1: I updated my signature template with an SVG logo. Why is it broken? While Signature Manager for Gmail successfully pushes the HTML code for your signature to your users' settings, Gmail itself does not support SVG files in email signatures. If you use an SVG file, the signature may look correct in our editor, but when a user composes an email in Gmail, the image will likely appear as a broken image icon or be completely invisible. Q2: Why doesn't Gmail support SVGs? This is a security restriction enforced by Google, not a limitation of the Signature Manager app. Gmail uses a "proxy" to serve images to ensure they are safe. Because SVG files are code-based (XML) and can theoretically contain malicious scripts (like JavaScript), Google’s security filters often block them to prevent potential security vulnerabilities. Q3: What should I do instead? To ensure your logo appears correctly for 100% of recipients (both on desktop and mobile), you must use a standard raster image format. We recommends using: - PNG (.png): Best for logos and text-based graphics because it supports transparency and high quality. - JPG (.jpg): Good for photographs or images with many gradients. How to fix this issue 1. Convert your image: Open your original logo file and export/save it as a PNG file. 2. Host the image: Upload the new PNG to a public hosting location (such as Google Photos) to generate a public, direct URL. - Need help hosting? See our guide: How do I upload an image? 3. Update the Template: - Open Signature Manager. - Select your template. - Click the Insert/edit image icon. - Paste the new PNG URL into the "Source" field. - Click Save. Once you redeploy the signature, the images will render correctly in Gmail immediately.

Last updated on Dec 23, 2025