Email template responsive for desktop

[jzolinski]

An agency created a new Marketo email template for us, but it is too wide and you have to scroll to the left or right to see the whole email. The width is set at 1000 pxl, when we try to change the width to 700 or 600, it shrinks a little, but still need to scroll left or right to see the whole email.

When we test the email template on mobile devices, we do not have to scroll left or right and it seems the email template is responsive for mobile devices but not desktop.

Would anyone be able to provide any information about how to correct the problem of having to scroll and making the email template responsive. Thank you in advance

[SanfordWhiteman]

Nope, and also we don’t want the Web View of an email asset, we want the template.

Please put the template code in a Gist.

[Crystal_Pacheco]

@jzolinski a good place to start looking is the image dimensions in the email. That could be one source of the scrolling from left to right but you can't stop there.
If the email is properly coded to be at 1000px wide, it's likely that the tables within the email would also need to be adjusted to a smaller width, including single column, two column and three column layouts.
The width value will need to be calculated to be proportionally smaller throughout the entire email.
Be sure to save a copy before you begin editing the email template code, good luck!

[Jo_Pitts1 · Accepted solution]

@jzolinski ,

I'm sorry your agency has delivered something unworkable.  I'm with @SanfordWhiteman.  No agency should deliver you a template that isn't working properly. 

Two other points:

1. I've developed many very complex templates, with some insanely gnarly modules.  Never once have I come across a client wanting a template wider than 640px (and usually that is with 20px margins left and right which brings the content area down to 600px).  This is to do with readability.  On most modern monitors at 600px wide, a person can read the email without having to scan their eyes left/right (i.e. the whole email is in the primary field of view).  This increases readability and comprehension of the email (it's one of the reasons printed Newspapers are laid out the way they are).
2. Do you have a clear design brief that was given to the agency and/or a full design covering both desktop and mobile behaviour for each module?  If so, go back to them and tell them to build to the designs (and refuse to pay extra).  To reiterate, even without a clear design - no competent/professional agency should have delivered this to you as an end product.

Cheers

Jo

[SanfordWhiteman]

It's impossible to say without seeing the actual template.

But even before that I'd go back to the agency. No professional should be closing out a project and leaving you with a scrolling desktop layout.