Script element format rules

Universal: 12pt Courier (or Courier Prime — open-licensed equivalent with better screen rendering), US Letter paper (8.5"×11"), 1.5" left margin, 1" right and bottom margins, top margin 1".

Step by step — write a spec script and export to industry PDF

1. Pick a tool. Fade In ($80 one-time) or Highland (Mac, $60 one-time) for desktop; Fountain plus afterwriting for command-line / free workflows.
2. Author in the tool — let it handle element indents automatically. Most apps detect element type as you type (scene heading after blank line + INT./EXT.; character name after ENTER + ALL CAPS; etc.).
3. Set the title page — title, "Written by", your name, contact info. Title page is unnumbered.
4. Export to PDF with embedded Courier. Verify embedding in Acrobat → Properties → Fonts.
5. For agent submission, watermark with the agent\'s name + date using Watermark PDF for traceability.

Title page conventions

The title page is the reader\'s first signal of professionalism. Convention: title in 12pt Courier, centred, about one-third from the top; underneath, a blank line, then "Written by"; another blank, your name; bottom-left corner, your contact details (email, phone, or representation). Avoid: tag-lines under the title, episode-credits-style lists of writers, decorative borders, or non-Courier fonts. The plain title page is the industry default; anything more flamboyant signals inexperience to professional readers.

For TV pilots, the title page also lists the genre and length (e.g. "Pilot – Single-camera comedy – 28 pages"). For feature specs, the title page omits this. For an episode written for an existing series, the title page identifies the series, season, and episode number; the script title is the episode title secondary to the series identifier.

Submission readiness checklist

Before sending a script to an agent, producer, or contest, verify five things. First, every element follows the format rules (margins, indents, ALL-CAPS as appropriate). Second, page count is in the right range for the format: feature spec 90–120 pages, half-hour TV pilot 30 pages, hour TV pilot 55–65 pages, short 10 pages or less. Third, every scene heading follows INT./EXT. – LOCATION – TIME format. Fourth, no widow lines (lone characters left at top or bottom of page) from auto-pagination. Fifth, every page has the correct page number (top-right, with period) and the title page is unnumbered. Most script formatters handle these automatically — but a manual final pass catches the cases the formatter missed.

For contest submissions specifically, read the contest's page-count and formatting rules carefully — Nicholl, Austin, Sundance Labs, and others each have specific limits that disqualify over-length entries. Most contests use industry-standard format but a few add their own constraints (no page numbers on title page, double blank line between scenes, etc.). Cross-check the contest rules before submitting; an automatic disqualification for formatting is the most preventable rejection in the industry.

Related reading

• Make a PDF look professional: general typographic rules.
• Share PDFs securely: watermarking and password protection for sensitive scripts.
• PDF Pro vs free tools: companion piece on the broader software-cost decision.
• PDF compatibility: ensure script PDF renders in older readers.
• Compress PDF: keep submissions under agency email caps.

FAQ

Is industry-standard script format actually a strict spec, or just convention?

Convention enforced at the speed-of-reading level. The format (12pt Courier, specific margins, ALL-CAPS for scene headings and character names) evolved because a properly-formatted page takes approximately one screen minute to read aloud — useful for the read-through, table read, and production scheduling. Readers (agents, producers, contest reviewers) reject scripts that violate the format because non-standard scripts disrupt the one-page-per-minute heuristic and signal an amateur. The format is not a single ISO standard, but the deviation tolerance is tight: 12pt Courier, US Letter paper, specific element indents per the table in this article.

What are the free alternatives to Final Draft for industry-standard PDF output?

Three strong options. Highland (paid app but cheaper one-time purchase than FD's subscription) is the Mac favourite. Fade In (cross-platform, one-time purchase ~$80) is widely accepted in TV writers' rooms. Open-source alternatives: Trelby (Windows/Linux, free) is a no-frills script formatter; Fountain (a markdown-style plain-text script format) plus afterwriting (npm command-line tool) renders Fountain to industry-PDF for free. The output PDF from all four is indistinguishable to a reader from a Final Draft PDF. Final Draft's edge is the workflow features (collaboration, beat boards, scene index) — those are paid-tier features that vary by need.

My script PDF reads in non-standard fonts when the agent opens it. Why?

You did not embed Courier in the PDF. PDF requires fonts to be embedded for cross-machine rendering; if Courier was not embedded, the agent's machine substitutes whatever Courier-like font is available, which can drift in width and metrics. Fix: in your script app, re-export with "Embed fonts" enabled. Verify by opening the PDF in Acrobat: File → Properties → Fonts → Courier should appear with "Embedded subset". This is the single most common script-PDF issue at agency submission.

Should I include page numbers on a script?

Yes from page 2 onwards. Top-right corner, with a period after the number (e.g. "47."). Title page is unnumbered. The format is well-established in every screenwriting style guide and is automatic in every script formatter. Note that production scripts also include scene numbers (per scene, on left margin) — those are added during pre-production, not when writing the spec.

How do I share a script PDF for read-throughs without losing privacy?

Watermark with the reader's name and the date on every page. ScoutMyTool Watermark PDF supports this directly. If the script later appears in a place it should not be, the watermark identifies which reader had access. Combine with password protection for stronger control (Protect PDF), and send the password by a different channel (SMS, Signal, in-person). For full DRM-style control over copies, use a dedicated platform like Scenechronize or Scriptation — but for ordinary professional spec circulation, watermarks + passwords are sufficient.

Citations

1. Writers Guild of America West — script format guidelines.
2. Fountain — open screenwriting markup specification.
3. Final Draft — script format reference (industry-default tool).
4. Courier Prime — open-licensed monospace font tailored for scripts.