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Inkwell can export your scripts to industry-standard formats for sharing, submission, or use in other screenwriting applications.

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Export Formats

FormatExtensionBest ForPreserves
PDF.pdfSubmissions, printing, distributionFinal formatting, revisions
Fountain.fountainPlain-text editing, version controlAll elements, no revisions
Final Draft.fdxCollaboration with FD usersAll elements, revisions

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Export to PDF

PDF export creates a professionally formatted, industry-standard screenplay ready for submission or printing.
1

Open Export

  • Go to File → Export PDF
  • Or press Cmd/Ctrl+P and click Export PDF
2

Configure options

Choose what to include:
  • Title page
  • Scene numbers
  • Sections, notes, synopsis
  • Revision marks
  • Page headers and watermarks
3

Choose save location

Select where to save your PDF and name it appropriately
4

Export

Click Export PDF. Your script is saved as a PDF file.

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PDF Export Options

All PDF export options are configured in the Print Dialog:
  • Title Page: Include formatted title page with your script info
  • Scene Numbers: Add scene numbers if you’ve numbered your scenes
  • Sections: Include act/sequence markers (usually off)
  • Notes: Include inline [[ notes ]] (usually off for final drafts)
  • Synopsis: Include scene summaries (usually off)
  • Revision Marks: Show asterisks for revised lines
  • Page Header: Custom text at top of each page
  • Watermark: Semi-transparent text across pages
Learn more about print options →

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When to Export PDF

✅ Use PDF for:
  • Agent or producer submissions
  • Contest entries
  • Table reads and rehearsals
  • Production scripts
  • Archiving final drafts
Name your PDFs descriptively: Title-Draft-Date.pdf (e.g., TheLastTrain-FirstDraft-2025-01-15.pdf)

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Export to Fountain

Fountain is a plain-text screenplay format that’s human-readable and future-proof.
1

Open Export

Go to File → Export → Fountain
2

Choose save location

Select where to save and name your file (.fountain extension is added automatically)
3

Save

Click Save. Your script is exported as plain text.

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What exports to Fountain

✅ Fully exported:
  • All screenplay elements (scenes, action, dialogue, etc.)
  • Title page metadata
  • Formatting (bold, italic, underline)
  • Sections (# markers)
  • Synopses (= markers)
  • Inline notes ([[ ]] markers)
  • Scene numbers (if present)
❌ Not exported:
  • Revision marks (Fountain doesn’t support revisions)
  • Version history (Fountain is a single snapshot)
  • Character metadata (bios, colors, etc.)

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When to Export Fountain

✅ Use Fountain for:
  • Version control with Git
  • Editing in any text editor
  • Sharing with writers using other Fountain apps
  • Long-term archival (future-proof plain text)
  • Collaboration on platforms like GitHub
Fountain files are tiny (usually under 100 KB) and work in any text editor. They’re perfect for backing up to cloud storage or version control.

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Export to Final Draft

Final Draft (FDX) export creates files compatible with Final Draft and other professional screenwriting software.
1

Open Export

Go to File → Export → Final Draft
2

Choose save location

Select where to save and name your file (.fdx extension is added automatically)
3

Save

Click Save. Your script is exported in FDX format.

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What exports to Final Draft

✅ Fully exported:
  • All screenplay elements
  • Title page metadata
  • Revision marks with colors (Blue, Pink, Yellow, etc.)
  • Formatting (bold, italic, underline)
  • Scene numbers
  • Dual dialogue
  • Page breaks
✅ Converted from Inkwell format:
  • Sections (#) → Outline elements
  • Inline notes ([[ ]]) → FDX notes
❌ Not exported:
  • Version history (FDX doesn’t store Inkwell’s patch-based history)
  • Character metadata (bios, colors—FD handles these differently)
Revision marks export with their colors preserved. If you’re on a “Blue Revision,” the FDX file will show blue revision marks.

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When to Export Final Draft

✅ Use FDX for:
  • Collaborating with Final Draft users
  • Production teams that use Final Draft
  • Maintaining revision history when switching tools
  • Importing into other professional screenwriting software

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Export Best Practices

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File Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive names for exports: Spec scripts: 
Title-Draft-Date.pdf
TheLastTrain-FirstDraft-2025-01-15.pdf
Production scripts: 
Title-RevisionColor-Date.pdf
TheLastTrain-BlueRevision-2025-01-22.pdf
Fountain/FDX backups: 
Title-Date.fountain
TheLastTrain-2025-01-15.fountain

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Version Organization

Create a folder structure for exports: 
MyScript/
  ├── MyScript-Working.ink (your Inkwell file)
  ├── Exports/
  │   ├── PDF/
  │   │   ├── MyScript-FirstDraft-2025-01-10.pdf
  │   │   └── MyScript-BlueRevision-2025-01-20.pdf
  │   ├── Fountain/
  │   │   └── MyScript-Backup-2025-01-15.fountain
  │   └── FinalDraft/
  │       └── MyScript-ForProducer-2025-01-18.fdx

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Before Exporting

1

Update Script Info

Check Project Panel → Script Info to ensure:
  • Title is correct
  • Author name is current
  • Contact info is up-to-date
  • Draft date reflects this version
2

Review formatting

Do a quick scroll-through:
  • All scenes formatted correctly
  • Character names consistent
  • No stray notes or TODOs (unless intentional)
3

Check scene numbers

If this is a production script:
  • Use Screenplay → Number Scenes to add/update numbers
  • Verify numbering is continuous
4

Handle revisions

If tracking revisions:
  • Ensure revision color is set correctly
  • Mark all changes before exporting

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Common Export Questions

Always PDF for agents, producers, and contests. PDFs ensure your formatting looks exactly as intended, regardless of what software the recipient uses.
Yes! All three formats can be imported back into Inkwell:
  • PDF: Import works, but may need cleanup
  • Fountain: Perfect round-trip (no data loss)
  • FDX: Perfect round-trip including revisions
No. Exports are snapshots of your current script. Version history is unique to .ink files. To preserve history, keep your original .ink file.
Title page content comes from Script Info (Project Panel → Script Info tab). Fill it out, then export again.
Not currently. Export each script individually. If you need to batch export, consider scripting Fountain exports (plain text is easily automated).
Check two things:
  1. Revision Marks toggle is on in the Print Dialog
  2. Your script actually has marked revisions (use Screenplay → Mark Selection Revised first)

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Next steps

Printing options

Customize PDF output with headers, watermarks, and more

Importing files

Import scripts from other applications

Revisions

Track changes with revision marks

Script Info

Update title page metadata