Dual function sheet feeder

A dual mode sheet feeder/separator system for an electronic document imaging and printing system with an electronic document imaging station, a printing engine, an externally accessible sheet stacking tray, a sheet feeder/separator for separating and feeding documents from said sheet stacking tray, and at least two selectably different sheet feeding paths for the sheets stacked in said sheet stacking tray after they are separated and initially fed by said sheet feeder/separator operatively connecting with said sheet stacking tray, said two selectably different sheet feeding paths comprising a first sheet path for feeding documents to said electronic document imaging station to be electronically imaged in a first operating mode and a second sheet path for feeding sheets to said printing engine in a second operating mode, and a sheet path selection system for selecting between said first and second sheet paths in response to selecting between said first and second operating modes, wherein in said first operating mode said sheet stacking tray contains documents to be electronically imaged and said documents are fed through said first sheet path to be electronically imaged, and wherein in said second mode said sheet stacking tray contains special copy sheets which are fed by said second sheet path into said printing engine to be printed;

• wherein said said electronic document imaging station, said sheet stacking tray, said sheet feeder/separator and said first and second sheet paths comprise an integral modular unit removably mounted to said printing engine and physically communicating therewith via said second sheet path.