Patent ID: 8081329

Claim:
A method comprising: starting a mixed output print job including a predetermined number of document sets to be printed using a printing system including perpendicular first and second bypass transport paths connecting first and second print engines to corresponding ones of first and second finishers and at least one redirect path connecting the first and second print engines to opposite ones of the second and first finishers; determining whether outputs from the first and second print engines will be merged; where the outputs of the first and second print engines are to be merged, sending the output from the first print engine to the first finisher on a sheet-by-sheet basis using the first bypass transport path; simultaneously diverting output from the second print engine away from the second bypass transport path; redirecting the output from the second print engine to a buffer, the output being stored in the buffer before the redirect path merges with the first bypass transport path; scheduling a feeding of the output from the buffer into the redirect path; rotating the output in the redirect path for merging with the output in the first bypass transport; and delivering the merged output to the first finisher.