Sheet feeding of faster rate printing systems with plural slower rate sheet feeders

a printing system having a pre-determined printing rate and an operably:

• integrated unprinted print media sheets feeding system for said printing system,
• said operably integrated unprinted print media sheets feeding system feeding said unprinted print media sheets to said printing system at said pre-determined printing rate of said printing system from at least two separate sheet separator/feeders feeding from at least two separate stacks of said unprinted print media sheets,
• which at least two separate sheet separator/feeders are controlled by a system controller programmed with a sheet feeding algorithm to alternately feed said unprinted print media sheets to said printing system from said at least two separate sheet separator/feeders into at least two separate fed sheet streams at a sheet feeding rate of approximately one-half or less of said printing system printing rate from each of said at least two separate sheet separator/feeders,
• wherein a sheet merging position is provided for merging said at least two separate fed sheet streams, and
• wherein said system controller sheet feeding algorithm sends sheet feeding commands to said at least two or more sheet separator/feeders at programmed times such that said at least two separate sheet separator/feeders feed sheets into said respective at least two fed sheet streams at times which allow said at least two fed sheet streams to interleave into a single fed sheet stream at said sheet merging position at said pre-determined printing rate of said printing system.