A type of imagesetter, a device used for high-resolution laser output of digitally-created pages or color separations. On a flatbed imagesetter, the digital file is converted to film format, and the film to be exposed is fed from a roll through rollers (called a capstan) past a light source. Digital information is used to guide the laser in the line-by-line exposure of the film. An alternate type of imagesetter is a drum imagesetter, in which the film is exposed by moving it around a cylinder. Of the two, drum imagesetters are widely believed to generate the better quality output. (See also Imagesetter.) A flatbed imagesetter is also known as a roll-fed imagesetter or a capstan imagesetter.
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