Guideplate assembly having substrate velocity control arrangement

In an apparatus for imaging a substrate having an imaging zone therein, a drive roller and a cooperating idler roller being disposed in the imaging zone, a magazine for dispensing an imaging substrate,

• the improvement comprising:
• a guideplate assembly for controlling the velocity of the substrate as the same moves toward the imaging zone, the guideplate assembly comprising:
• a guideplate having an inlet end and an outlet end thereon, the inlet end of the guideplate being disposed adjacent to the dispensing magazine and the outlet end being disposed adjacent to the imaging zone, the guideplate having at least one velocity-controlling sidewall disposed along one edge of the guideplate;
• a pushing finger movable along the guideplate from a first position adjacent the inlet end of the guideplate to a second position;
• a spring-loaded biasing member disposed adjacent to the edge of the guideplate opposite to the sidewall;
• the biasing member being operable to urge an edge of the substrate into frictional contact against a portion of the sidewall directly opposite the member while the pushing finger simultaneously engages the trailing edge of the substrate
• thereby to propel the substrate at a predetermined controlled velocity toward the outlet end of the guideplate against the frictional force imposed on the substrate by the sidewall,
• the predetermined controlled velocity being at least ninety percent of the rotational speed of the drive roller so that upon engagement with the idler roller substantially no velocity perturbation is imparted to the substrate, whereby the substrate is imaged from leading edge thereof.