digital imaging camera

Captures and stores an image digitally on a computer drive, photo CD, or magnetic tape instead of on film. Digital imaging cameras divide an image into small areas called pixels. The pixels are translated into binary digits representing the brightness of each area. Image clarity and sharpness are based upon the number of pixels per linear inch. Digital cameras built for commercial use get much closer to the quality of 35mm film (2000 3 3000 pixels) than the digital cameras mass marketed to consumers, which can be as low as 200 3 300 pixels. It is easier to duplicate 35mm quality for a small image of 1 to 2 inches than for larger images. However, digital imaging has made large-format graphics much more affordable and available than traditional prepress techniques. Digital cameras can produce output directly to film, paper, or print plate. Digital cameras are widely used for electronic publishing and videoconferencing applications. Digital imaging cameras are also used in fulfillment to capture large volumes of reply documents for paperless key entry. See also computerized page makeup; digital photography; dpi.