A teacher who sends an email from their box [email protected] without a signature faces a concrete problem: the recipient does not know which institution they work at or what position they hold. The Aix-Marseille academy explicitly requests that the name of the school be added to the signature to facilitate identification. Creating a professional signature on the Aix-Marseille academic messaging system takes only a few minutes, but several technical details determine whether it remains readable on all devices.
Consistent academic signature across webmail, smartphone, and Thunderbird
The real trap is discovered afterward: the signature appears correct on the RoundCube webmail, then it distorts on the phone or partially disappears in Outlook. This discrepancy arises because each email client interprets formatting differently.
On the academic webmail (RoundCube), the signature is stored on the server side. When configuring an IMAP account on a smartphone or Thunderbird, the local client uses its own signature, not that of the webmail. Therefore, you end up with two distinct signatures if you do not take the precaution of setting them up in both places.
To avoid this inconsistency, one can adopt a simple approach: write the signature in plain text (without HTML) and copy-paste it exactly into each application. Plain text works everywhere, never breaks the layout, and poses no display issues on narrow screens.
Some prefer an HTML signature with a clickable link to the institution’s website, but plain text remains the most reliable solution when using multiple devices.
For those who wish to delve deeper into the step-by-step process, you can create a signature on the Aix Marseille academic messaging system by following the detailed steps in the webmail.
Setting up the signature in RoundCube: Options menu and text field
The interface of the Aix-Marseille academic webmail is based on RoundCube. The path is straightforward: Options menu, then Local Account. You come across a free text field where you write your signature.
Two settings not to forget:
- Check the box “Add signature to each composed message”, otherwise the signature is only inserted manually, message by message
- Click on Save Preferences after any modification, including a simple change of phone number
- Check the rendering by sending yourself a test email from the webmail to a personal address, to see what the recipient actually receives
The signature field in RoundCube accepts HTML if the option is enabled, but on the academic messaging system, plain text mode is often the default. If you paste HTML into a text field, the tags display plainly in the email, resulting in an unreadable output.
Reproducing the same signature on an IMAP client
When adding the ac-aix-marseille.fr account on Thunderbird, Mail (iOS), or the Gmail app on Android via the IMAP protocol, the RoundCube signature does not follow. It needs to be recreated in the local account settings of each application.
On Thunderbird: Account Settings, then the “Signature Text” field under the address. On iOS: Settings, Mail, Signature, select the academic account. On Android with Gmail: Settings, select the IMAP account, Mobile Signature.
The mobile signature is often limited in length. On iOS, it accepts multiple lines, but on certain versions of Android via Gmail, the rendering truncates beyond four or five lines. Therefore, a short format is maintained for smartphones.
Sober structure of an academic signature in line with usage
The academy emphasizes the strictly professional use of messaging. The signature must reflect this requirement. Avoid quotes, personal logos, and embedded images (which increase the message size and may trigger spam filters on the recipient’s side).
A sober and readable structure looks like this:
- First name and last name, on the first line
- Position (primary school teacher, certified mathematics teacher, CPE, administrative staff)
- Full name of the institution and town (e.g.: Collège Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence)
- Professional phone number if relevant, never the personal number
Do not include a personal postal address or a link to a private social network. The academic messaging system is used for correspondence with rectoral services, partner institutions, and families. Any non-professional information in the signature falls outside the scope of use.
Special case: signatures with images or institution logos
Some institutions provide a graphic banner or logo to integrate. If you wish to use it, integrate it in HTML in RoundCube (when HTML mode is available) with an image tag pointing to a hosted URL, not as an attachment. An attached image displays as a paperclip in the recipient’s inbox and increases the weight of each email sent.
On smartphones, this type of HTML signature with an image almost systematically distorts. It is recommended to reserve the logo signature for webmail and keep a text version for mobile sends.
Common errors on the Aix-Marseille academic messaging system
Some situations frequently arise. The first: modifying the signature in RoundCube without clicking Save, then realizing that nothing has changed. The second: configuring a signature on Thunderbird but forgetting to create it on the webmail, leaving emails sent from the browser without any identification.
Another point to watch: redirects to a personal inbox are no longer allowed on the academic messaging system, following security incidents. If you used a Gmail redirect to centralize your emails, the Gmail signature replaced that of the academic account, which posed an identification issue. This practice is now blocked, so every email is sent with the signature configured on the ac-aix-marseille.fr account.
The last useful reflex: review your signature once a year, at the beginning of the school year. A change of institution, position, or professional phone number renders the signature obsolete, and you continue to send dozens of emails with outdated information without thinking about it.