Variable vacuum belt and plenum for improved media sheet acquisition and transport

A vacuum belt media transport system comprising:

• a media acquisition stage, a transport stage, and a delivery stage, wherein the media transport stage and the media delivery stage are located subsequent to the media acquisition stage,
• a movable belt having a plurality of holes there through arranged in rows, the rows being one or more centermost rows and a plurality of outer rows located toward the outer edge of the belt from the one or more centermost rows, the one or more centermost rows having more holes that are spaced closer than the holes in the plurality of outer rows,
• a center vacuum plenum underlying the moveable belt only at the media acquisition stage, the center vacuum plenum being aligned with the centermost holes in the movable belt during the media acquisition stage and configured to provide a vacuum force over a length of the media acquisition stage to attract media to the movable belt,
• a plurality of outer vacuum plenums underlying of the movable belt during the media acquisition, transport and delivery stages, the plurality of outer vacuum plenums being aligned with the holes in the movable belt during the media acquisition, transport and delivery stages and configured to provide a vacuum force over a length of the media acquisition, transport and delivery stages,
• wherein the holes in the one or more centermost rows of the movable belt and the center vacuum plenum underlying the moveable belt cause the vacuum force to be higher at the media acquisition stage and lower at the subsequent media transport and delivery stages.