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Documentation Index

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Inkwell can import scripts from other screenwriting apps and formats. This guide covers supported formats and what to expect when importing.

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Supported Import Formats

Inkwell supports three import formats:
FormatExtensionImport QualityNotes
Fountain.fountain⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ExcellentPerfect fidelity, all metadata preserved
Final Draft.fdx⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ExcellentFull format support including revisions
PDF.pdf⭐⭐⭐ GoodBest-effort inference, may need cleanup

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Import Fountain Files

Fountain is a plain-text screenplay format that imports perfectly into Inkwell.
1

Open Import

Go to File → Import → Fountain (.fountain)…
2

Select file

Choose your .fountain file from the file picker.
3

Review imported script

Your script opens in Inkwell with all formatting preserved.

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What imports from Fountain

✅ Fully supported:
  • All screenplay elements (scenes, action, dialogue, etc.)
  • Title page metadata (title, author, contact, etc.)
  • Formatting (bold, italic, underline)
  • Sections and synopses
  • Inline notes
  • Scene numbers (if present)
❌ Not imported:
  • Revision marks (Fountain doesn’t support revisions natively)
  • Version history (starts fresh in Inkwell)
Fountain files export from most modern screenwriting apps including Highland, Final Draft, Fade In, and WriterDuet.

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Import Final Draft Files

Final Draft (FDX) files import with full fidelity, including advanced features.
1

Open Import

Go to File → Import → Final Draft (.fdx)…
2

Select FDX file

Choose your .fdx file.
3

Review imported script

Your script opens with formatting and metadata intact.

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What imports from Final Draft

✅ Fully supported:
  • All screenplay elements
  • Title page metadata
  • Revision marks with colors (Blue, Pink, Yellow, etc.)
  • Formatting (bold, italic, underline)
  • Scene numbers
  • Dual dialogue
  • Page breaks (Inkwell recalculates for accuracy)
✅ Converted to Inkwell format:
  • Outline elements → Sections (# syntax)
  • FDX notes → Inline notes ([[ ]] syntax)
❌ Not imported:
  • Final Draft-specific features (Omit, A-pages)
  • Version history (starts fresh in Inkwell)
  • Custom fonts or page margins (Inkwell uses industry standard Courier Prime)
Revision marks import with their colors intact. You can continue tracking revisions in the same color sequence.

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Import PDF Files

PDF import uses text recognition to recreate your screenplay from a PDF document. Quality depends on how the PDF was created.
1

Open Import

Go to File → Import → PDF…
2

Select PDF file

Choose your .pdf file.
3

Wait for processing

PDF import takes longer than other formats (usually 5 to 30 seconds depending on script length).
4

Review and clean up

Check the imported script carefully. You may need to fix element detection or formatting.

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PDF Import Quality

Best results (⭐⭐⭐⭐):
  • PDFs exported directly from screenwriting software
  • Text-based PDFs (not scanned image pages)
  • Standard Courier font
  • Clean, properly formatted scripts
Moderate results (⭐⭐⭐):
  • PDFs with non-standard fonts
  • Hand-formatted scripts
  • PDFs with headers, footers, or watermarks
Poor results (⭐⭐):
  • Scanned PDFs (images, not text)
  • Multi-column layouts
  • Heavily annotated PDFs

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What imports from PDF

✅ Usually correct:
  • Scene headings
  • Character names
  • Dialogue
  • Action/description
  • Page breaks (approximate)
⚠️ May need cleanup:
  • Element type detection (dialogue vs. action)
  • Character name consistency (formatting variations)
  • Parentheticals and transitions
  • Special formatting (bold, italic, underline)
❌ Not imported:
  • Revision marks
  • Title page metadata (you’ll need to re-enter in Script Info)
  • Inline notes
  • Sections or synopses
Always review PDF imports carefully. Element detection is best-effort and may misidentify some lines.

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Post-Import Steps

After importing, follow these steps to ensure your script is production-ready:
1

Check Script Info

Open the Sidebar (Cmd+1 to toggle), select the Script Info tab (document icon), and fill in:
  • Title
  • Credit & Author
  • Draft Date
  • Contact information & Copyright
2

Review formatting

Scroll through your script and check:
  • Scene headings are properly detected.
  • Character names are consistent and in ALL CAPS.
  • Dialogue is correctly formatted.
  • Transitions and parentheticals are in the right places.
3

Add characters (if needed)

Go to the Characters tab in the sidebar (person icon). Inkwell auto-detects character names, but you may want to:
  • Add character bios & details (Gender, Age).
  • Fix any name inconsistencies.
4

Save as .ink file

Press Cmd+S to save. Choose a location and filename.Your script is now in Inkwell’s native format.

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Common Import Issues

Cause: Character names weren’t in ALL CAPS or had inconsistent formatting.Fix: Retype the character name in ALL CAPS on its own line. The dialogue below will auto-format correctly.
Cause: Action paragraphs were indented or formatted unusually.Fix: Highlight the misidentified text, then press Tab to cycle the element type back to Action.
Cause: Scene headings didn’t start with standard prefixes like INT. or EXT..Fix: Force a scene heading by adding a period (.) at the start of the line. Example: .FLASHBACK - 1985
Large PDFs (100+ pages) take 30-60 seconds to import. This is normal—PDF text extraction and element inference is computationally intensive.
Title pages rarely import from PDFs or Fountain. Re-enter your script info in Sidebar → Script Info after importing.
Check that your FDX file actually had revision marks. If it did and they’re not showing, ensure you didn’t have revisions mode disabled. Go to Revision → Show Revision Mode (or press Cmd+Opt+R) to confirm revisions are active.

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Best Practices

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Before Importing

  1. Clean up the source: If possible, remove headers, footers, and watermarks from PDFs before importing.
  2. Use the best format: Prefer Fountain or FDX over PDF when available.
  3. Backup the original: Keep a copy of your original file in case you need to re-import.

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After Importing

  1. Do a full read-through: Check formatting on every page.
  2. Fix inconsistencies early: Correct character names and element types before writing new content.
  3. Set up Script Info: Fill in title page metadata immediately.
  4. Save regularly: Press Cmd+S to save your work.

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Next steps

Exporting files

Export your script to other formats

Formatting basics

Learn Fountain syntax for editing imported scripts