Universal flexible plural printer to plural finisher sheet integration system

A system comprising:

• a plurality of printers;
• a plurality of sheet processing systems;
• and
• a multifunction printed sheets interface system which comprises a generally planar sheet feeding table larger than the dimensions of any sheet to be fed thereon for simultaneous variable transport of a plurality of sheets thereon and comprising:
• a plurality of sheet input areas which receive printed sheets from the plurality of printers, each of the printers feeding printed sheets to a respective one of the sheet input areas,
• a plurality of sheet outputs areas which provide plural outputs to different ones of the sheet processing systems, first and second of the sheet input areas being positioned relative to first and second of the sheet outputs areas such that a oath of a sheet transported between the first input area and the first outputs area crosses a path of a sheet being transported between the second input area and the second outputs area,
• a sheet position sensing system, and
• a sheet transporting system, said sheet transporting system providing selectable sheet translation to selectably transport sheets contemporaneously from selected ones of said plural sheet input areas to selected ones of said plural sheet outputs areas so as to provide simultaneous selectable sheet feeding from selected printers to selected sheet processing systems, including contemporaneous feeding in the crossing paths.

A method comprising:

• printing sheets on a plurality of printers;
• feeding the printed sheets from the plurality of printers to a plurality of spaced respective input areas, each of the plurality of input areas being adjacent a side of a planar printed sheets interface system;
• transporting the printed sheets in the planar printed sheets interface system with a plurality of sheet transports from the input areas to selected ones of a plurality of spaced output areas, each of the plurality of output areas being adjacent a side of the planar printed sheets interface system, whereby a sheet transported in the planar printed sheets interface system between a first of the input areas and a first of the outputs areas crosses a path of a sheet being contemporaneously transported in the planar printed sheets interface system between a second of the input areas and a second of the outputs areas;
• and
• sensing a position of the printed sheets during transporting.