What Font Are Screenplays Written In? Industry Standard

Screenplays are written in Courier 12pt, a monospaced slab serif typeface originally designed for IBM typewriters in 1955. Most professional screenwriting software defaults to this font automatically. Close variants like Courier Prime and Courier Final Draft are also accepted across the industry.

This isn’t a style choice. It’s a formatting standard enforced by production companies, script readers, agencies, and film festivals worldwide.

What Type of Font Is Courier?

Courier is a monospaced font, meaning every character occupies the exact same horizontal width. The letter “i” takes up as much space as the letter “m.” No exceptions.

It’s also classified as a slab serif, with thick, square-edged serifs on each letterform. The strokes are monolinear, meaning equal visual weight throughout.

That fixed-width structure is the whole point. It makes line counts predictable across different computers, printers, and software setups. One page of properly formatted Courier 12pt equals roughly one minute of screen time. That rule only works because the font never varies in spacing.

Key typographic specs

• Classification: Monospaced slab serif
• Size standard: 12pt only
• Pitch: 10 characters per inch
• Lines per page: 55 (in Courier Final Draft; Courier New runs longer)

Proportional fonts like Arial or Times New Roman can’t do this. Their variable spacing means a 90-page script could clock in at 75 minutes or 110 minutes depending on the words used. Useless for production planning.

Who Designed the Courier Typeface?

Howard “Bud” Kettler (1919–1999) designed Courier for IBM in 1955. He came from a background in small-town print shops and newspaper typesetting, which showed in how practically the font was built.

IBM commissioned the typeface for its typebar typewriter line. When the IBM Selectric launched later, Courier was adapted again for the new type ball mechanism. Kettler nearly named the font “Messenger” before settling on Courier, a name he felt carried more dignity.

IBM deliberately chose not to trademark or patent the design. That decision made Courier public domain almost immediately, which is why it spread to every other typewriter manufacturer and eventually to every computer on earth.

Is Courier Free to Use?

Yes. The Courier name and typeface concept are in the public domain. You can use the base Courier font without any licensing concerns.

The more relevant question for screenwriters is which variant to use. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Courier Prime is released under the SIL Open Font License and available on Google Fonts. It was designed in 2013 by Alan Dague-Greene with funding from screenwriter John August, specifically to improve screen legibility while maintaining exact metric compatibility with Courier Final Draft.

What Is the Difference Between Courier and Courier New?

This trips up a lot of writers. They look nearly identical on screen, but they behave differently on the page.

Courier New was produced by Monotype for Microsoft and shipped as a system font with Windows 3.1. It was digitized directly from the IBM Selectric type ball without accounting for the visual weight added by a typewriter’s ink ribbon. The result is noticeably thinner strokes.

The practical problem: Courier New has higher line spacing than standard Courier. A script that runs 109 pages in Courier Final Draft can balloon to 129 pages in Courier New. That’s a significant difference when industry readers use page count to estimate runtime before they even open the document.

The verdict from most working screenwriters is to avoid Courier New for professional submissions. Courier Prime or Courier Final Draft are the safer choices.

Why Did Hollywood Standardize on Courier?

It happened gradually, not by decree. Screenwriting grew up in the typewriter era, and Courier was the dominant typewriter font. When production workflows got built around typewritten scripts, the format got locked in.

The practical reasons for keeping it are real:

• The one-page-per-minute rule depends on consistent character spacing
• Scripts change hands between dozens of collaborators; a fixed font prevents reformatting disasters
• Script readers and coverage writers can estimate runtime at a glance from page count
• Production departments use page counts to schedule and budget scenes

John August, screenwriter of Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, put it well when launching Courier Prime: producers need to know that a 119-page draft is genuinely shorter than a 140-page draft. A variable font breaks that entirely.

There’s also a psychological element. Scripts that don’t use standard formatting signal to readers that the writer doesn’t know the industry. That’s a fast way to get a pass before page one.

Best Free Alternatives to Courier for Screenwriting

If you’re not writing a spec script for Hollywood submission and just want a clean, readable monospaced font for drafting, there are solid options. For actual professional submissions, stick with the Courier family.

Courier Prime is the one most screenwriters actually use when they want to move away from the default system Courier. It was built to match Courier Final Draft character-for-character, so page counts stay accurate. That matters more than anything else.

How to Use Courier Prime in Screenwriting Software

Final Draft

Download Courier Prime from quoteunquoteapps.com, install it on your system, then open Final Draft and go to Format > Font. Select Courier Prime at 12pt. Create a new stationery template to set it as the default for all future scripts.

Courier Prime matches Courier Final Draft’s metrics exactly, so existing scripts won’t reflow when you switch.

Highland 2 and Fade In

Both apps let you change the script font in Document Settings. Courier Prime is actually the recommended font in Fade In’s own documentation. Download it once, install it system-wide, and it appears in both apps automatically.

WriterDuet and Arc Studio

Direct font selection is available in both platforms under formatting or document preferences. WriterDuet defaults to Courier Prime in newer versions. Arc Studio Pro uses Courier Final Draft by default but accepts any installed Courier variant.

Using Courier in Figma or Canva

If you’re designing screenplay-style graphics or mockups rather than writing actual scripts, Courier Prime is available as a Google Font and can be loaded directly into Figma through the font manager. Canva users can upload Courier Prime as a custom font under Brand settings.

For any print work, keep it at 300 DPI minimum. Monospaced fonts at smaller sizes can look thin at lower resolutions, especially Courier New.

Can You Use a Different Font in a Screenplay?

Technically, yes. Practically, it’s a risk most writers shouldn’t take.

Some established screenwriters have used custom fonts for stylistic effect. The script for A Quiet Place (written by John Krasinski, Bryan Woods, and Scott Beck) uses occasional font variations to emphasize specific moments. But those writers had proven credits and industry relationships before making that call.

For spec scripts, unsolicited submissions, or anything going to an agent, manager, or film festival: use Courier 12pt. A non-standard font is one of the fastest ways to signal that a writer is new, and not in a good way.

The Coen Brothers famously write their scripts in non-Courier fonts in drafts circulated online. They also write, direct, produce, and edit their own films. That’s a different situation entirely.

Typography Concepts Behind the Screenplay Font Standard

Understanding why Courier works comes down to a few core typography principles that most people never think about when writing scripts.

Leading (line spacing) is tightly controlled in screenplay format. Courier at 12pt with standard leading produces exactly 55 lines per page in properly configured software. Change the font, and that number shifts.

Tracking and kerning don’t really apply in the traditional sense to monospaced fonts. That’s the point. Every character gets the same fixed slot, which removes any variation that could affect line counts.

The x-height of Courier is deliberately moderate. It’s not optimized for beauty or visual hierarchy. It’s optimized for consistency and readability across physical printouts, which is still how most industry readers and script supervisors work through scripts.

Fonts designed for proportional reading, like most serif fonts used in books or a sans-serif font used in web design, aren’t built for this kind of structural discipline. They vary character width to improve readability in flowing text. That’s exactly what screenwriting format can’t have.

FAQ on What Font Are Screenplays Written In

What font are screenplays written in?

Screenplays use Courier 12pt, a monospaced slab serif typeface.

Variants like Courier Prime and Courier Final Draft are also accepted. All screenwriting software defaults to this font automatically.

Why do screenplays use Courier font?

Because it’s monospaced. Every character takes up identical horizontal space, which makes the one-page-per-minute rule reliable.

Producers and script readers use page count to estimate runtime. A proportional font breaks that system entirely.

Can I use Courier New for a screenplay?

Technically yes, but it’s not ideal. Courier New runs taller than standard Courier, which inflates page count.

A 109-page script in Courier Final Draft can reach 129 pages in Courier New. That’s a problem for professional submissions.

What is Courier Prime and is it free?

Courier Prime is a refined version of Courier designed specifically for screenwriters by Alan Dague-Greene, funded by screenwriter John August. Released in 2013 under the SIL Open Font License. Free to download from Google Fonts or quoteunquoteapps.com.

What size font do screenplays use?

Always 12pt. No exceptions for professional submissions.

Changing the size throws off the page-to-minute timing ratio that production departments rely on for scheduling and budgeting.

What font does Final Draft use by default?

Final Draft defaults to Courier Final Draft, a version of Courier 10 BT developed specifically for the software.

It produces 55 lines per page at standard margins, keeping the industry-standard script timing accurate.

Is the screenplay font rule a WGA requirement?

The WGA doesn’t mandate a specific font in its rules, but Courier 12pt is universally expected across agencies, production companies, and film festivals.

Submitting a spec script in any other font signals inexperience to most script readers.

Do TV screenplays use the same font as film scripts?

Yes. Both feature film scripts and TV scripts use Courier 12pt as the standard typeface.

The formatting rules around margins, slug lines, and dialogue blocks differ slightly between formats, but the font requirement stays the same.

Can established screenwriters use a different font?

Some do. The Coen Brothers circulate drafts in non-Courier fonts. The A Quiet Place script uses occasional font variations for stylistic effect.

But those writers have proven credits. For everyone else, Courier 12pt is the only safe choice.

What free alternatives to Courier work for screenplays?

Courier Prime is the best option. It matches Courier Final Draft metrics exactly, so page counts stay accurate.

Liberation Mono and FreeMono are metrically similar to Courier New but are better suited for general use than for professional script submissions.

Conclusion

So, what font are screenplays written in? Courier 12pt, always. That answer hasn’t changed in decades, and it won’t anytime soon.

The monospaced slab serif structure keeps script timing consistent, page counts reliable, and production workflows intact across every collaborator who touches a shooting script.

Courier Prime is the smartest choice for most writers today. It preserves the fixed-pitch spacing that makes professional script formatting work while being easier to read on screen than standard Courier New.

Stick to the industry standard font. Let your story do the talking.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Bogdan Sandu

Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008.

Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.

His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.

He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.

Latest posts by Bogdan Sandu (see all)

• What Is an Extended Font and When to Use It in Design? - 9 August 2026
• The Linear Logo History, Colors, Font, And Meaning - 8 August 2026
• The Best Gamma Alternative for Business Presentations in 2026 - 7 August 2026