To modify the page layout go to Document > Page Layout...
This opens a window with the following tabs to choose from: Margins, Colors and Options.
Margins
Set margins to determine the amount of white space between text and the top and bottom edges of the page and between body text and text in the header or footer.
To change the page margins of a document, click the Margins tab if it is not already selected.
Text Margins: Top and Bottom
Measured in inches from the top and bottom of the page, these settings control the amount of space at the top and bottom of each page to allow for the header and footer. Varying these settings can change the page count of a script. The defaults for the US Screenplay template are one inch at both the top and bottom.
If the text margin is set so that it overlaps the header or footer, Final Draft automatically adjusts the text margin so that the text fits in between the header and footer without any overlap.
Header/Footer Margins
Measured in inches from the top and bottom of the page, these settings control the amount of white space above the header and below the footer. The default for the US Screenplay template is 0.50 for both.
To change any Margin settings:
- Click the up or down arrows next to the setting;
- Click OK to apply the new settings to the script.
If the header or footer margin is set to a value that is less than the header or footer margin of the printer, the text in the header or footer may get clipped. Final Draft will display a warning, giving the user the chance to adjust the margins to match the printer's settings.
See Paragraph Tab for information on adjusting horizontal element indents.
Paper Type
Set the paper type to either US Letter or A4. The paper type is an attribute of the script file and will open to the chosen page size on any computer on which it's opened.
Colors
In the Colors tab of the Page Layout dialogue, the background (page) color, the text color, and the color of the invisible characters may be changed. Changing these settings applies only to the currently active script.
If colors are changed here and the script is saved as a PDF with the Keep Colors box checked, the chosen background and text colors will be in the PDF.
To change the background or text colors, click the Colors tab if it is not already selected.
The default colors are white for background, black for text and gray for invisibles.
To change any of the color options:
- Click a color swatch;
- The standard Colors window appears;
- Create or choose a color;
- Quit the Colors box;
- The new color will be displayed in the color swatch;
- Click OK and the color change will be applied to the script.
Options
To change the optional settings of a document, click the Options tab if it is not already selected.
Line Spacing Options
The options are Very Tight, Tight, Normal, and Loose. The default setting is Normal.
The Line Spacing setting controls how closely the lines of text are spaced vertically; it applies to the entire document.
A script that is exactly 100 pages in the default Final Draft screenplay template will come in at 90 pages in Very Tight, 95 pages in Tight and 107 pages in Loose.
For more information on adjusting the quantity of text on a page, see Manipulating the Page Count.
Enable Smart Quotes
Check this option to use angled left and right quote marks in the script.
Break Dialogue and Action at Sentences
Check this box to prevent Final Draft from breaking a sentence at the bottom of a page and continuing it at the top of the next page; it will force the new sentence to start at the top of the next page. Uncheck this box to allow the sentence at the bottom of a page to run to the end of the line and continue at the top of the next page.
With the box checked:
With the box unchecked:
