Patent ID: 8382244

Claim:
A printer comprising: a media transport that is configured to transport media through the printer in a process direction; a plurality of printheads configured to eject ink onto media being transported past the plurality of printheads by the media transport, the plurality of printheads being arranged in a plurality of printhead groups; a plurality of electrical motors, each printhead in the plurality of printheads being operatively connected to one electrical motor in the plurality of electrical motors and each printhead group being operatively connected to one electrical motor in the plurality of electrical motors; an imaging device mounted proximate to a portion of the media transport to generate image data corresponding to a cross-process portion of the media being transported through the printer in the process direction after the media has received ink ejected from the plurality of printheads; and a controller operatively connected to the imaging device, the plurality of electrical motors, and the plurality of printheads, the controller being configured to designate only one printhead in each printhead group within the printer as a fixed printhead, to designate remaining printheads in each printhead group within the printer as moveable printheads, to change the designation for a first printhead having the moveable designation in a printhead group to a fixed designation in response to an electrical motor operatively connected to the first printhead failing to move the first printhead an identified distance, and to change the designation for the printhead having the fixed designation before the electrical motor failure to a moveable designation in response to the moveable designation of the first printhead being changed to the fixed designation.