A screenplay format guide covering margins, fonts, and spacing is the first thing every new writer needs and the thing most experienced writers never actually look up until a reader kicks something back. The short answer: a properly formatted script uses Courier Prime or Courier Final Draft at 12pt, with a 1.5-inch left margin, 1-inch right margin, and very specific vertical spacing between every element. Get those numbers right and your pages look professional. Get them wrong and readers notice before they read a single word of your story.

The good news is that format rules are finite. There are roughly a dozen structural elements in a script, and each has its own margin and spacing behavior. Once you know them, format becomes automatic. Below is every setting you need, explained in plain terms.

Why Format Matters More Than You Think

Industry readers use format as a proxy for professionalism. A correctly formatted script signals that the writer understands the medium and respects the reader's time. It also keeps the one-page-per-minute timing estimate reliable, which matters for producers budgeting a project. Sloppy margins or wrong fonts break that rule of thumb and can make a 95-page script read as either too short or too long before anyone reaches page two.

Format also affects readability in a direct, physical way. The wide left margin exists because scripts were originally held in three-ring binders and punched on the left side. That spacing still gives the eye room to move from dialogue back to action without losing its place. It is not arbitrary, and neither are any of the other rules.

Font: The Only Acceptable Choices

The industry standard is 12-point Courier. Specifically, most professionals use one of three variants:

  • Courier Prime - a free, screen-optimized version of Courier, slightly more readable on monitors and when printed. This is the most popular choice in 2026.
  • Courier Final Draft - the version built into Final Draft software. Slightly heavier strokes, reads well in print.
  • Courier New - acceptable but slightly narrower than the traditional Courier. Use it only if the others are unavailable.

Do not use any other font. Not Times New Roman, not Arial, not a "nicer" Courier clone. Readers will notice. The monospaced nature of Courier is what makes one page equal roughly one minute of screen time, because every character takes up the same horizontal space.

Page Margins: The Exact Numbers

These are the standard margin settings for every element on the page:

  • Top margin: 1 inch
  • Bottom margin: approximately 1 inch (some software goes slightly shorter to fit more text)
  • Left margin: 1.5 inches (to accommodate binding)
  • Right margin: 1 inch (though action lines can ragged-right to about 1.25 inches)

Within those page margins, each script element has its own additional indentation measured from the left edge of the page. Here are the standard positions in inches from the left paper edge:

  • Action lines: Start at 1.5 inches, end at 7.5 inches (60 characters wide)
  • Character cue (the name above dialogue): Start at 3.7 inches
  • Dialogue: Start at 2.5 inches, end at 6.5 inches (roughly 35 characters wide)
  • Parenthetical (the direction inside dialogue): Start at 3.1 inches, end at 6 inches
  • Scene headings (slug lines): Start at 1.5 inches, same as action
  • Transitions (CUT TO:, FADE OUT., etc.): Start at 6 inches

If you are working in a dedicated screenwriting app, these margins are already baked in. If you are using a word processor, you will need to set them manually using tab stops or a template.

Spacing: Line Breaks Between Every Element

Spacing is where most self-formatted scripts fall apart. The rules are simple but unforgiving:

  • After a scene heading: One blank line before the first action line
  • After action lines: One blank line before the next scene heading or character cue
  • Between a character cue and dialogue: No blank line. They sit directly on top of each other.
  • Between a parenthetical and dialogue: No blank line.
  • Between exchanges of dialogue: One blank line separating one character's block from the next character cue
  • After a transition: One blank line

The script is single-spaced within elements and double-spaced (one blank line) between them. Never double-space inside a block of action. Never add extra blank lines to pad page count. Readers see it immediately.

Scene Headings, Transitions, and a Few Special Cases

Scene headings (slug lines) are written in ALL CAPS and follow the format: INT. or EXT., the location, a dash, and the time of day. Example: INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT. No period at the end.

Character cues are also in ALL CAPS. When a character continues speaking after a page break, add (CONT'D) after the name. When dialogue is interrupted by a brief action line and then resumes, add (CONT'D) again to show continuity.

Transitions like CUT TO: and FADE OUT. are right-aligned and used sparingly. Most working writers skip CUT TO: entirely because a scene heading already implies a cut. FADE IN: belongs at the very top of the script; FADE OUT. belongs at the end.

Page numbers sit in the top right header, followed by a period. The first page is typically not numbered. Subsequent pages run from 2 onward.

If you want to see how your formatting holds up against each of these rules in real time as you write, Better Draft provides margin notes and structure analysis that flag format issues without rewriting your work for you.

Finishing a Script vs. Formatting One

Knowing the format rules is one thing. Actually getting through a full script is another. Many writers spend enormous energy getting their slug lines perfect and then stall out in act two. If that sounds familiar, it is worth reading about second act problems and how to fix a sagging middle, which covers structural issues that format cannot solve. Format keeps your script readable; structure keeps it moving.

There is also a deeper pattern behind why writers never reach FADE OUT in the first place. Why writers never finish their scripts addresses the psychological and structural habits that stall most projects, regardless of how tidy the margins are.

Quick Reference: Format at a Glance

  • Font: Courier Prime or Courier Final Draft, 12pt
  • Left margin: 1.5 inches from paper edge
  • Right margin: 1 inch
  • Top/bottom margins: 1 inch each
  • Action lines: Full width between left and right margins
  • Character cue: Centered at 3.7 inches from left paper edge
  • Dialogue: Indented to 2.5 inches, closing at 6.5 inches
  • Spacing: One blank line between all major elements; none between cue and dialogue
  • Scene headings: ALL CAPS, INT./EXT., location, dash, time
  • Page numbers: Top right, starting on page 2

If you want coverage, a table read, or a structural review once your draft is formatted and ready, Better Draft's plans start at $16/month with a free tier available to explore the tools before you commit.

FAQ

Does it matter which Courier variant I use?

In practice, no reader will reject a script for using Courier New instead of Courier Prime. But Courier Prime is slightly more legible on screen and in print, and it is free to download, so there is no reason not to use it. The critical rule is that you use a 12-point monospaced Courier of some kind, not a proportional font.

Can I use screenwriting software instead of memorizing these settings?

Absolutely. Final Draft, WriterDuet, Fade In, and Highland all apply correct formatting automatically. The reason to understand the underlying rules is so you can catch errors when something goes wrong, work in a plain text environment if needed, or explain to a collaborator why something looks off. Software handles the output; your job is to understand what correct looks like.

How many pages should a properly formatted screenplay be?

A feature film screenplay typically runs between 90 and 115 pages, with most drama and thriller specs landing around 100 to 110. Comedies tend to run shorter, around 90 to 100. These estimates only hold when format is correct, because format governs the one-page-per-minute convention.

What happens if my action lines are too long or too wide?

If action lines extend past the right margin, they crowd the page and make it harder to read quickly. Most readers skim action, so dense, wide blocks slow them down. Break long action paragraphs into shorter ones of three to four lines each. White space on a script page is a feature, not wasted space.