Printing system sheet feeder using rear and front nudger rolls

A method of feeding sheets to a printing system including a sheet stack including two or more sheets of media stacked in a vertical position which includes a top sheet and a sheet directly below the top sheet, each sheet including a leading edge and a trailing edge wherein all leading edges and trailing edges are vertically aligned the method comprising:

• starting a sheet feed cycle;
• applying a tangential force near the leading edge of the top sheet of the sheet stack, the tangential force applied with a first nudger roll positioned near the leading edge of the top sheet of the sheet stack and the first nudger roll is in physical contact with the top sheet of the sheet stack;
• driving the top sheet into a separation nip;
• removing the tangential force near the leading edge of the top sheet after the top sheet leading edge passes through the separation nip;
• driving the top sheet with the separation nip to a take-away nip, while simultaneously applying a tangential force near the trailing edge of a next sheet directly below the top sheet the tangential force applied with a second nudger roll positioned near the trailing edge of the next sheet of the sheet stack;
• and
• wherein the second nudger roll is adjustably mounted or fixed to a sheet stack trailing edge guide,
• removing the tangential force from the next sheet after driving the next sheet a predetermined distance towards the separation nip.

A xerographic printing system comprising:

• one or more sheet feeder apparatuses each sheet feeder apparatus comprising:
• an initial sheet stack comprising two or more sheets of media stacked in a vertical position which includes a top sheet and a sheet directly below the top sheet, each sheet including a leading edge and a trailing edge wherein all leading edges and trailing edges are vertically aligned;
• a front nudger roll positioned directly above the initial sheet stack and near the leading edge of the top sheet of the initial sheet stack, the front nudger roll in physical contact with the top sheet of the initial sheet stack, and the front nudger roll, capable of advancing the top sheet from the initial sheet stack;
• a separation nip aligned with the front nudger roll, the separation nip adapted to receive the top sheet advanced by the front nudger roll and the separation nip adapted to advance the top sheet in a direction away from the front nudger;
• and
• a rear nudger roll, the rear nudger roll being positioned directly above the initial sheet stack near the trailing edge of the top sheet and adapted to advance, from the initial sheet stack, the sheet directly below the top sheet while the top sheet is being advanced by the front nudger roll, the separation nip, or the front nudger roll and the separation nip,
• wherein the second nudger roll is adjustably mounted or fixed to a sheet stack trailing edge guide .