A printing system (10, 30) comprising: a marking engine (18, 32); a paper path which carries sheets of print media to the marking engine from an upstream direction and carries sheets of print media which have been marked by the marking engine in a downstream direction; a buffer system (24, 36) comprising: a first sheet buffer in the paper path upstream of the marking engine; a second sheet buffer (20, 21) in the paper path downstream of the marking engine; and characterized by comprising at least one sheet feeder, at least one conveyor system, and at least one finisher all under the control of a central controller, wherein the conveyor system is configured to convey the sheets of print media from the sheet feeder along the paper path to the marking engine via the first sheet buffer, and from the marking engine to the finisher via the second sheet buffer; and the central controller is configured to receive timing information from at least one of the sheet feeder, the conveyor system and the finisher, to time the movement of each sheet through the printing system, and to time the movement of the sheets through the marking engine based on a fixed total residence time for the sheet in the marking engine and second sheet buffer. a marking engine (18, 32); a paper path which carries sheets of print media to the marking engine from an upstream direction and carries sheets of print media which have been marked by the marking engine in a downstream direction; a buffer system (24, 36) comprising: a first sheet buffer in the paper path upstream of the marking engine; a second sheet buffer (20, 21) in the paper path downstream of the marking engine; and characterized by comprising at least one sheet feeder, at least one conveyor system, and at least one finisher all under the control of a central controller, wherein the conveyor system is configured to convey the sheets of print media from the sheet feeder along the paper path to the marking engine via the first sheet buffer, and from the marking engine to the finisher via the second sheet buffer; and the central controller is configured to receive timing information from at least one of the sheet feeder, the conveyor system and the finisher, to time the movement of each sheet through the printing system, and to time the movement of the sheets through the marking engine based on a fixed total residence time for the sheet in the marking engine and second sheet buffer. a first sheet buffer in the paper path upstream of the marking engine; a second sheet buffer (20, 21) in the paper path downstream of the marking engine; and characterized by comprising at least one sheet feeder, at least one conveyor system, and at least one finisher all under the control of a central controller, wherein the conveyor system is configured to convey the sheets of print media from the sheet feeder along the paper path to the marking engine via the first sheet buffer, and from the marking engine to the finisher via the second sheet buffer; and the central controller is configured to receive timing information from at least one of the sheet feeder, the conveyor system and the finisher, to time the movement of each sheet through the printing system, and to time the movement of the sheets through the marking engine based on a fixed total residence time for the sheet in the marking engine and second sheet buffer.