An electronic copy board system including an electronic copy board. The electronic copy board includes an opaque planar member which provides a support for a transparent sheet upon which image data is written. A guide member houses an elongated light to direct light through a slot in the guide member towards an array of light detectors positioned opposite the elongated light. The transparent sheet is moved between the light guide and the light detectors when the image data on the transparent sheet is to be read. In one embodiment, the transparent sheet is in the form of an endless belt, and in another embodiment, the transparent sheet is in the form of a long strip which is pulled off a supply roll and wound up on a take-up roll during the reading process. The electronic copy board is coupled to a personal computer to facilitate displaying, printing, storing, transmitting, or further processing of the visual data read from the copy board.