A platen cover for an imaging device such as a copier or scanner includes
a substrate and at least of portion of the surface of the substrate is
coated with a fluorescent coating. Preferably, the substrate has a dark
or black color. The dark color of the substrate substantially reduces or
eliminates show through of an image on the backside of an original
document when the platen cover is not exposed to a light source for
imaging. At the same time, when holes or uneven borders are present in
the original document, the fluorescent coating fluoresces upon exposure
to the light source at these regions of the original document, making
these portions appear white in the replicated image and thereby
substantially reducing or eliminating the unsightly appearance of these
portions as black portions in the replicated image.