A flatbed is a kind of scanner or printer that scans papers or other items on a smooth, glass surface. Most flatbed scanners have a movable top that can be elevated to allow for the scanning of dense items like periodicals, books, and other materials. In comparison to sheet-fed scanners or copiers, also known as automated document readers, which can only take paper documents, this is a major advantage.

Standard letter size (8.5" x 11") to legal size and larger flatbed scanners and copiers are available. An building plan scanner, for instance, might be the size of several letter-size scanners. Flatbed scanners are more adaptable than sheet-fed scanners due to their big size capability and ability to image dense items. However, they are unable to autonomously send pages into the reader, making it time-consuming to capture numerous pages. This is the rationale behind why some scanners and copiers come equipped with both a tabletop reading surface for bulky items and an ADF for loading multiple sheets at once.