Patent ID: 8849146

Claim:
An imaging device, comprising: a plurality of imaging units, each imaging unit selectively deposits toner forming a color plane; an intermediate transfer member for cooperating with the imaging units such that the color planes of toner are deposited on the intermediate transfer member; a second transfer area for transferring the deposited color planes of toner from the intermediate transfer member to sheets of media as the sheets of media are movably positioned in the second transfer area; a media transport path configured for picking the sheets of media from a stack thereof and moving the picked sheets of media to and from the second transfer area; a fusing assembly positioned downstream of the second transfer area for fusing deposited toner to the sheets of media; and at least one controller for controlling the imaging units, intermediate transfer member, second transfer area, media transport path and fusing assembly; wherein the media transport path includes a duplex path for selectively moving the media sheets from a first location downstream of the fusing assembly to a second location upstream of the second transfer area, the duplex path including at least one set of rollers, each set of rollers controlled by the controller for moving the media sheets through the duplex path and selectively staging at least one media sheet of the sheets of media therein, and wherein one of the imaging units is a black imaging unit for transferring black toner, the imaging device is configurable in a color mode of operation in which one or more of the imaging units is run and a black only mode of operation in which only the black imaging unit is run, and the controller switches between the color mode and the black only mode during a printing operation without changing an order in which sides of each media sheet are printed, relative to the sides thereof being printed in an absence of switching between modes of operation, and, without changing an order in which each media sheet is printed, relative to the sheets of media being printed in an absence of switching between modes of operation.