Apparatuses useful in printing onto media and methods of mitigating media edge wear effects on fixing belts in printing

A fixing device, comprising:

• a first roll including a first surface;
• a second roll including a second surface;
• a third roll including a third surface;
• a fixing belt supported on the first surface and the second surface, the fixing belt including a surface forming a nip with the third surface;
• a registration distribution system for translating the first roll, second roll, third roll and fixing belt, as a unit, transversely to a media travel path of media received at the nip;
• and
• a belt steering mechanism connected to the second roll for translating the fixing belt across the first surface of the first roll, at the nip, transversely to the media travel path, while the registration distribution system translates the first roll, second roll, third roll and fixing belt transversely to the media travel path.

A method of mitigating media edge wear effects on a fixing belt in an apparatus useful in printing onto media, the apparatus comprising a first roll including a first surface, a second roll including a second surface, a fixing member including a third surface and a fixing belt supported on the first surface and second surface, the fixing belt including a surface forming a nip with the fixing member, the method comprising:

• feeding a medium to the nip along a media travel path;
• translating the first roll, second roll, fixing member and fixing belt, as a unit, transversely to the media travel path with a registration distribution system;
• and
• translating the fixing belt across the first surface at the nip, transversely to the media travel path, with a belt steering mechanism connected to the second roll, while the registration distribution system translates the first roll, second roll, fixing member and fixing belt transversely to the media travel path.