Media identification system with moving optoelectronic device

A method for identifying a type of recording medium that is stored in a media input location of a printing system, the method comprising:

• providing a carriage that is movable along a carriage scan direction;
• providing an optoelectronic device that is mounted on the carriage;
• providing at least one unobstructed optical path between the optoelectronic device and a plurality of regions of the media input location as the carriage is moved along the carriage scan direction;
• providing a printing system controller including a table of characteristics of a plurality of recording media types;
• activating the optoelectronic device while the carriage is moving along the carriage scan direction in order to provide a time-varying electronic signal corresponding to a plurality of regions of the media input location;
• transmitting the time-varying electronic signal to the printing system controller;
• and
• comparing the time-varying electronic signal to the table of characteristics for identifying the type of recording medium that is stored in the media input location of the printing system.