How to Convert Fountain to PDF

Fountain is a popular plain-text format for screenplays. If you have a .fountain file and need a properly formatted PDF, Ensemble can handle both the import and the export in a few clicks.

What is Fountain

Fountain is a plain-text markup language designed for screenwriting. Files use the .fountain extension and are human-readable in any text editor. Scene headings are written in uppercase, character names are capitalized, and the structure of the screenplay is inferred from formatting conventions rather than binary metadata.

Fountain is widely used as an interchange format between screenwriting tools. Highland, WriterSolo, Slugline, and many other apps can read and write Fountain files, making it a good way to move screenplays between applications without losing structure.

Importing a Fountain File

To import a Fountain file into Ensemble:

Click the + button in the left sidebar.
Select Import Fountain from the menu.
Pick a .fountain or .txt file from your computer.
A new project is created with the imported screenplay content.

Once imported, the screenplay becomes a regular Ensemble project. You can edit it, share it, collaborate on it, and export it in any format just like a screenplay you wrote from scratch.

What Happens During Import

Ensemble parses the Fountain file and converts it into its native document format. During this process:

Title page metadata is extracted, including title, author, contact, draft date, revision, and notes. These fields carry over to PDF export.
Comments (/* */), notes ([[ ]]), and synopsis lines (= prefix) are stripped since Ensemble does not have a separate notes layer.
Force markers (@, ., !, ~) are removed. Ensemble detects element types automatically.
Emphasis markers (*, **, ***, _) and centered text markers are stripped. Ensemble does not currently support inline rich text, so bold, italic, and underline formatting is discarded.

Reviewing Your Imported Screenplay

After importing, scroll through the screenplay and check that element types were detected correctly. The element indicator in the bottom-right corner of the editor shows the current element type for whatever line the cursor is on.

If a line was detected as the wrong type, place your cursor on it and press Tab to cycle forward through element types or Shift+Tab to cycle backward. This lets you fix any misdetections quickly.

Fountain files that use non-standard conventions may have some lines detected as Action when they should be a different element. Scene headings that do not start with INT., EXT., or INT./EXT. are the most common case. A quick scan after import catches these.

Exporting as PDF

Once you are satisfied with the imported screenplay, click Export in the toolbar, select PDF, and click Download.

The exported PDF uses Courier 12-point font with correct screenplay margins. If the Fountain file included title page metadata (title, author, etc.), the PDF includes a formatted title page. Page numbers appear in the top-right corner starting from page two.

For more details on export formats and options, see the How to Export Your Screenplay guide. Note that exporting requires an Ensemble account.

Tips and Common Gotchas

Emphasis markers are stripped. Ensemble does not support inline bold, italic, or underline. Any emphasis in your Fountain file is removed during import.
Title page fields carry over automatically. Title, author, contact, draft date, and other metadata from the Fountain title page appear on the PDF title page.
Large scripts are truncated on the free tier. The free plan limits screenplays to five pages. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited pages.
Dual-dialogue is not supported. Fountain's dual-dialogue marker (^) is not recognized. The two characters will appear sequentially instead of side by side.
Uncommon scene heading prefixes may be detected as Action. If your Fountain file uses custom prefixes that are not standard (INT., EXT., INT./EXT.), those lines may need manual correction.
Lyrics become plain text. Fountain's lyric marker (~) is stripped during import. The text remains but is not styled differently.

If you need to go back to Fountain format later, use the Fountain export option. This makes Ensemble a convenient round-trip tool: import Fountain, edit in a visual editor, and export back to Fountain for use in other tools.

Help / Product Guides

How to Export Your Screenplay

Help / Product Guides

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