Patent ID: 7329061

Claim:
An ink jet printer that comprises: a housing that defines a print media entrance opening and a print media exit opening; a support frame arranged in the housing between the openings; a print media feed roller assembly mounted on the frame proximal the entrance opening and a print media exit roller assembly mounted on the frame proximal the exit opening; a print engine mounted on the frame downstream of and adjacent to the feed roller assembly, the print media feed roller assembly, the print media exit roller assembly and the print engine aligned such that the print media traverses in a single direction between the print media feed roller assembly and the print media exit roller assembly; and a belt loading mechanism mounted on the frame and interposed between the print engine and the exit roller assembly to load an initial portion of a sheet of print media between the roller assemblies prior to a printing operation to be carried out by the print engine, the belt-loading mechanism including a pair of opposed endless belts that are displaceable towards each other to engage the sheet of print media and away from each other to release the sheet of print media prior to printing.