platen

Etymology

From French platine, from plat (“flat”). See plate, and compare platin.

noun

1. (printing) The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made.
   And the form is inked, the paper is applied, the bed is slid, and the platen is levered down and the proof is printed. 2010, Andrea Levy, The Long Song, Tinder Press (2017), page 382
2. The part of a typewriter or printer on which the paper rests to receive an impression.
3. The movable table of a planer or other machine tool, on which the work is fastened, and presented to the action of the tool.
4. The flat glass surface of a scanner or photocopier on which operators place items to be scanned.