Xerographic envelope printing

Marking apparatus having means for processing envelopes by printing each of said envelopes with an address comprising:

• means for holding said envelopes in an unmarked condition;
• means for sensing the presence of said envelopes in said means for holding to initiate an envelope printing mode of marking;
• means for storing said address electronically and for converting said electronically stored address into control signals for printing said envelopes with said envelope addresses;
• means for driving said unmarked envelopes to a print station for encoding with said address information;
• and
• means for collecting said printed envelopes subsequent to their being printed.

Envelope marking apparatus comprising:

• a xerographic marking engine including a photoconductive member and means for moving said member through charging, imaging development and transfer stations and further including transport means for moving a copy substrate into transfer relation with said photoconductive member at the transfer station to form a powder image on the substrate and fusing means for affixing substantially permanently said powder image to said substrate;
• a paper tray for supporting individual copy sheets having a first uniform thickness prior to copying;
• a cassette insertable into said paper tray for holding envelopes to be moved by said transport means to said transfer station for marking;
• means responsive to the presence of the cassette into the paper tray to cause said marking engine to enter an envelope printing mode of operation, said envelope printing mode including the modification of the transfer, and fusing means to insure image transfer and affixing to portions of said envelopes which due to the multiple layers of said envelopes present a second, thicker substrate to said marking engine.

A method for printing envelopes with a xerographic marking engine comprising the steps of:

• inserting the envelopes in a holding tray;
• sensing the presence of said envelopes in said tray;
• modifying the xerographic marking parameters of said marking engine to print envelopes;
• driving said envelopes, one at a time, from said holding tray to a xerographic transfer station for printing;
• and
• stacking said printed envelopes in an output tray.