Printing system with inverter disposed for media velocity buffering and registration

An inverter apparatus associated with a marking engine for inverting a document for transport along a media path, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one nip drive roller for grasping and inverting the document;
• a variable speed process direction motor for driving the nip drive rollers at variable speeds;
• and,
• a sensor for sensing if the document is exclusively grasped by the nip drive rollers whereby an ingress of the document to the inverter apparatus from the media path occurs at a first speed of the process direction motor and an egress of the document from the inverter apparatus to the media path occurs at a second speed of the process direction motor.

An inverter apparatus associated with a marking engine for inverting a document along a media path, the apparatus comprising:

• a nip drive roller for grasping and inverting the document;
• a translating frame supporting the nip drive roller;
• and,
• a translating motor associated with the translating frame for selectively registering the document relative to the media path.

A method of processing a document for transport through a printing system for enhancing document control and reducing transport path distance, wherein the printing system includes an inverter assembly comprising a variable speed drive motor associated with nip drive rollers for grasping the document, and a marking engine, the method comprising:

• transporting the document into the inverter assembly at a first speed;
• inverting the document in the inverter assembly;
• and,
• transporting the document out of the inverter assembly at a second speed whereby a variance between the first and second speeds is buffered by the inverter assembly.