draft2final

Focus on your writing. Get a book that's ready to publish.

draft2final is a professional typesetting tool built for writers who want to stay focused on their content, yet demand output that is polished and perfect. It turns plain Markdown files into publication-grade PDFs for novels, memoirs, film scripts, and academic papers—without the complexity of LaTeX or the inconsistencies of word processors.

Why draft2final?

• Industrial-Strength Engine: Built on a state-of-the-art native typesetting engine—not a browser-based hack. It offers clinical precision in layout, margins, and vertical rhythms that rivals high-end publishing software like InDesign.
• Micro-Typographic Excellence: Professional-grade handling of font opticals, kerning, and advanced pagination logic that respects the traditions of fine bookmaking.
• Zero-Friction Infrastructure: A purely native solution. No Chromium, no Puppeteer, and no "font emergencies." It just works, beautifully, every time.
• Global-Ready from Day One: Native, high-fidelity support for mixed scripts including Arabic, Chinese, Devanagari, and Thai with correct contextual shaping and bidirectional layout.

Quick Start

1. Install

npm install -g draft2final

2. Scaffold a New Project

# For a novel or memoir
draft2final --new story.md --as manuscript

# For a film script
draft2final --new script.md --as screenplay

3. Render your PDF

# Render with default settings
draft2final story.md

# Render as a specific type
draft2final story.md --as manuscript

(Render completes in ~0.3s for a typical chapter)

Preparing Existing Files

If you have an existing Markdown file and want to add the required front matter and recommended configuration:

draft2final --prepare story.md --as manuscript

This will:

1. Add/update the as: manuscript key in the front matter.
2. Inject a commented-out block of recommended settings for that specific format (boilerplate), making it easy to discover and tune options without leaving your editor.

Choosing your "Form"

Use the --as flag to define the structural "Form" of your work. This is the structural DNA of your document:

• manuscript: The gold standard for prose submissions.
• screenplay: Effortless script formatting with dual-dialogue support.
• academic: Precise layout for research drafts and formal papers.
• literature: Clean, elegant book designs for poetry and prose.

The Screenplay Workflow

draft2final handles screenplay syntax with effortless sophistication. It supports full industry formatting conventions—action, characters, parentheticals, and dual-dialogue—all derived from clean, semantic Markdown.

## INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

Rain drums against the glass.

> @ELIAS
> If this script doesn't render perfectly, I'm taking up carpentry.

> @RIN
> Relax. It's draft2final.

Aesthetics

The --style flag (or style: in your frontmatter) is where the "Aesthetic" lives—the visual skin of your document:

draft2final script.md --as screenplay --style classic

Full Documentation

For the complete guide on syntax, advanced styles, and theme customization, visit the User Guide.

License

Apache-2.0