Patent ID: 6901238

Claim:
A marking engine for marking an image onto a sheet, said marking engine having an image transfer section, a fuser section, and a travel path for transporting said sheet from said image transfer section to said fuser section, said travel path comprising: a vacuum transport for receiving said sheet from said image transfer section and moving said sheet towards said fuser; and a fuser entrance guide for receiving said sheet from said vacuum transport and guiding said sheet into said fuser section, said guide comprising: a housing adapted to maintain a vacuum therein; a base plate on said housing; said base plate having a lower surface adapted to be contacted by said sheet as said sheet moves between said image transfer and fuser section, said lower surface having vacuum ports therein through which said vacuum in said housing is applied against said sheet; and a controller operative to vary said vacuum in said housing as said sheet moves across said lower surface of said fuser entrance guide.