surfaces 108 and 110 and a row of transducers at the surfaces of gaps 112 and 114 electrical connection cables 116 and 118 connect the transducers to the read write channel of the associated tape drive to control the overwrap angle u03b8 of the tape 120 at edges 122 and 124 outriggers 126 and 128 lapped at the desired wrap angle are provided the wrap angle going onto the flat transducing surface is usually between u215b degree and 4 5 degrees the rows of transducers are protected by closures 130 and 132 made of the same or similar ceramic as the rowbar substrates 102 and 104 fig2 illustrates flat transducing surface 108 of the flat contour head 100 of fig1 as the tape 120 moves from left to right or from right to left over the flat transducing surfaces 108 the tape separation from the transducing surface is different in different zones across the surface at the edges 122 and 222 the overwrap angle results in bending of the tape to conform to the flat transducing surfaces in a narrow u201c compression zone u201d 204 where the tape is in contact with the edges 122 and 222 the compression zone having a effective length of about 0 1 u2013 10 microns increasing to 15 u2013 45 microns over the life of the head.