Book Platen
The flat area of glass found on the top of photocopiers through which images are copied. A book
platen allows users to copy items that are thicker than a sheet of paper. Many MFDs do not
have a book platen, requiring items to go through a sheet feeder to be copied.
Digital Copying
A process used to copy a page which first digitally scans an image, breaking it into thousands
of tiny dots, and then reassembles the image for printing. This is in contrast to most copiers,
which use an analog process (much like a photograph) to transfer an image to toner. Digital
copyng can result in high quality output if the scanning process is very detailed, but often
results in output that looks like a fax.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Software
Software that is designed to read text from a scanned image. With OCR software, users can convert
paper documents into word processor files and avoid having to retype the entire document.
PC-Based Faxing
A type of faxing that allows users to fax documents directly from the desktop. PC-based faxing
saves the effort of printing and then walking to the fax machine to send a document.
Pixels Per Inch (ppi)
A measurement used to indicate the resolution of a scanner. Most MFDs scan at 200 ppi to 600 ppi.