# Digital radiography differs from conventional in:
a. X-rays not used
b. Rays other than X-rays are used
c. Radiation receptors are different
d. No hard copy is formed
Digital image receptors encompass numerous different technologies and come in many different sizes and shapes. Numerous different and sometimes confusing names are in use to identify these receptors in medicine and dentistry. The most useful distinction is that between two main technologies: (1) solid-state technology and (2) photostimulable phosphor (PSP) technology. Although solid-state detectors can be subdivided further, these detectors have in common certain physical properties and the ability to generate a digital image in the computer without any other external device.
In medicine, the use of solid-state detectors is referred to as digital radiography. In dentistry, intraoral solid-state detectors are often called sensors. The other main technology, PSP, consists of a phosphor-coated plate in which a latent image is formed after x-ray exposure. The latent image is converted to a digital image by a scanning device through stimulation by laser light. This technology is sometimes referred to as storage phosphor on the basis of the notion that the image information is temporarily stored within the phosphor. Other times the term image plates is used to differentiate them from film and solid-state detectors. The use of PSP plates in medical radiology is referred to as computed radiography.