Ghost Release: 5.55.1

TL;DR

Ghost v5.55.1: Email Newsletter Image Fix for Outlook

This patch release fixes a critical bug affecting image rendering in newsletters when viewed in Outlook email clients. The issue was caused by a recent update to the "juice" library that Ghost uses for CSS inlining in email newsletters, which was automatically adding height="auto" and width="auto" attributes to images. This caused Outlook to render images at full width, breaking newsletter layouts and creating horizontal scrollbars. The fix prevents these automatic attribute additions, ensuring consistent image rendering across all email clients.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed image rendering issues in newsletters when viewed in Outlook email clients
• Prevented automatic addition of height="auto" and width="auto" attributes to images in email newsletters
• Eliminated horizontal scrollbars in Outlook-viewed newsletters

Migration Guide

No migration steps are required for this patch release. The fix is automatically applied when upgrading to v5.55.1.

Upgrade Recommendations

This patch release is highly recommended for all Ghost users who send email newsletters, especially if your audience includes subscribers using Outlook email clients.

The upgrade process is straightforward:

• Standard upgrade procedures apply
• No configuration changes needed
• No database migrations required

If you've been experiencing issues with newsletter images appearing too large or causing horizontal scrollbars in Outlook, upgrading to v5.55.1 will resolve these problems.

Bug Fixes

Email Newsletter Image Rendering in Outlook

This release fixes an issue where images in Ghost newsletters were not rendering correctly in Outlook email clients. The problem was traced to a recent update in the "juice" library that Ghost uses for CSS inlining in email newsletters.

The updated juice library was automatically adding height="auto" and width="auto" attributes to images that had their dimensions set to auto in CSS. While this works fine in most email clients, Outlook would interpret these attributes differently, causing images to render at full width. This resulted in:

• Horizontal scrollbars appearing in newsletters
• Broken newsletter layouts
• Inconsistent rendering between email clients

The fix prevents juice from modifying the height or width attributes of <img /> tags, ensuring consistent image rendering across all email clients including Outlook.

Reference: PR #17475

New Features

No new features were added in this patch release. This is a bug fix release focused on resolving an issue with image rendering in newsletters when viewed in Outlook email clients.

Security Updates

No security fixes were included in this patch release. The focus was on fixing the image rendering bug in Outlook email clients.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were included in this patch release. The focus was on fixing the image rendering bug in Outlook email clients.

Impact Summary

This patch release addresses a specific compatibility issue with Outlook email clients that was affecting the visual presentation of newsletters. The fix ensures that images in Ghost newsletters render consistently across all email clients, improving the reading experience for subscribers using Outlook.

The issue was caused by an update to the "juice" library used by Ghost for CSS inlining in email newsletters. The updated library was automatically adding height="auto" and width="auto" attributes to images, which Outlook interpreted differently than other email clients. This caused images to render at full width, breaking layouts and creating horizontal scrollbars.

The fix is targeted and minimal, preventing juice from modifying image height and width attributes while maintaining all other functionality. This ensures that newsletters look as intended across all email clients, improving the overall quality and professionalism of Ghost newsletters.

Full Release Notes