Abstract: The invention is apparatus for laying film in wrinkle-free fashion on a flat surface. A protective film is automatically laid down on a flat rigid vacuum support plate capable of having an image bearing transparency thereon when the instant invention traverses the rigid support plate in one pass in one direction. A photosensitive material and a backing material may then be subsequently supplied to the rigid support plate upon a second pass in the reverse direction to provide a photopolymer plate which may be exposed through a transparency covered by said first film. The resulting photopolymer plate having hardened relief image areas may then be further treated to provide a printing plate.