Paper driven rotary encoder that compensates for nip-to-nip handoff error

A printing system, comprising:

• an upstream transport nip;
• a downstream transport nip;
• a transport path defined between the upstream transport nip and the downstream transport nip that receives a sheet media fed from the upstream transport nip;
• a drive member that drives at least one of the upstream transport nip and the downstream transport nip to cause the sheet media to be transported along the transport path;
• a printhead located along the transport path positioned to print on the sheet media as it is fed along the transport path;
• a print controller that controls the printing by the printhead on the sheet media;
• an encoder roller rotatably mounted between the upstream transport nip and the downstream transport nip so as to contact one side of the sheet media fed through the transport path, the encoder roller having an outer peripheral surface at least partly formed from a high coefficient of friction material and further including an encoder member that measures angular rotation of the encoder roller;
• a biasing member positioned along the transport path between the upstream transport nip and the downstream transport nip at a location that biases the sheet media against the encoder roller, a combination of the high coefficient of friction material on the encoder roller and a biasing force of the biasing member being selected to prevent relative slip between the sheet media and the encoder roller and cause the encoder roller to be driven solely by a driving force generated by the sheet media as it is transported along the transport path;
• an encoder controller that determines sheet media misregistration by comparing output from the encoder roller with predicted positioning based on the drive member;
• and
• an adjustment mechanism that compensates for any misregistration.