Email Configuration

Regardless of which email application you use, your 12PointDesign email account must be setup a specific way in order to function correctly.

We utilize two important security features which can cause problems for email you send either being rejected by the 12PointDesign server (before it gets sent) or by the recipient mail server.

The first of these is SMTP Authentication. Surprisingly, some mail servers today still do not require any form of authentication to send email claiming to be from their domain. Our servers all require SMTP Authentication. This can be either of two methods: "POP before SMTP" (some email clients offer this as an option) or "SMTP Authentication" (almost every email client in use today offers this option.

The second is SPF (Sender Policy Framework). SPF, for mail servers that use it, is a way for the recipient server to verify that a message is legitimate - and not forged by someone else (spammers and phishers) claiming to be you. It does this by identifying what servers are "allowed" to send email with your domain. Your account is setup to ONLY identify 12PointDesign servers as legitimate senders. That means you must use the 12PointDesign mail servers (mail.example.com where example.com is your domain) to send mail.

Today, many ISPs prevent this ability by default, and you need to make a change in your email account setup in order to ensure that you are really "talking" to the right server. Often this can be as simple as asking the ISP to allow you to send mail through a third party email server. If your ISP is an AT&T affiliate, fill out this form, make sure you select "**Opt Out Port 25" within the "Abuse Type" option.

The other option to avoid this limitation is to change the SMTP port from 25 (the default) to 10025. The method to do this is different depending on what email application you use. Follow the links below for specific instructions.

If your ISP does not provide a means to "opt out", and your email client does not support changing the SMTP port from 25 to 10025, please contact me for additional assistance.

Client Configuration

• Microsoft Outlook
• Mac Mail
• How to Use the Plesk Spam Filter