Apparatus for media preheating in an ink jet printer

A media sheet heating mechanism in an ink jet imaging system comprising:

• a heated imaging drum onto which ink is ejected to form an image on the heated imaging drum;
• a transfixing roller that forms a transfixing nip with the heated imaging drum;
• and
• a media director positioned to move a media sheet having no ink thereon into contact with the heated imaging drum at a position prior to the transfixing nip to enable the heated imaging drum to heat the media sheet to a temperature that facilitates transfer of the ink from the imaging drum to the media sheet before the media sheet enters the transfixing nip;
• wherein the distance from the initial contact point of the media sheet with the media director to the transfixing nip is at least one fourth of the circumference of the heated imaging drum.

An ink jet imaging system comprising:

• a heated imaging drum that rotates in at least one direction;
• a print head for ejecting ink onto the heated imaging drum as it rotates past the print head to form an image;
• a media sheet transport for synchronizing movement of a media sheet with rotation of the heated imaging drum to enable the media sheet to be brought into proximity to the heated imaging drum for transfer of the ink image from the heated imaging drum to the media sheet;
• a transfixing roller that forms a transfixing nip with the heated imaging drum to transfer the ink image on the rotating heated image drum onto the media sheet synchronized by the media sheet transport;
• and
• a media director located between the media sheet transport and the heated imaging drum to direct the media sheet into close proximity with the heated imaging drum at a position sufficiently prior to the transfixing nip that the heated imaging drum heats the media sheet to a temperature that facilitates transfer of the ink image from the heated imaging drum to the media sheet in the transfixing nip before the media sheet enters the transfixing nip;
• wherein the distance from the initial contact point of the media sheet with the media director to the transfixing nip is at least one fourth of the circumference of the heated imaging drum.