E-mail attachments appear as a viewable page. I want icons only. How can I do that?

When your recipient does not use html interpretation, the attachment will always appear as an icon.

When your recipient DOES use html, the attachment will appear in-line -- IF displayable.

To make certain the reader sees only an icon, stuffit. (i.e, pre-compress the attachment with a common compressor like zip.)

Zip and unzip files and folders on Mac - Apple Support

There are two ways to avoid the page effect for attachments for the recipients:

1 - compress the file as Grant Bennet-Adler suggested.

2 - put the file in a folder and add the folder to the email.