Patent ID: 7430380

Claim:
A printing system comprising: a first marking engine comprising a first image applying component for applying an image to print media and a first fixing device for at least partially fixing the image applied by the first image applying component; a second marking engine in series with the first marking engine, the second marking engine comprising a second image applying component and a second fixing device, the second marking engine being operable in a first mode of operation in which the second image applying component applies an image to print media and the second fixing device at least partially fixes the image applied by the second image applying component, the second marking engine being operable in a second mode of operation in which the second fixing device further fixes an image on the print media which has been applied by the first image applying component and fixed by the first fixing device without an intermediate application of an image to the print media by the second image applying component; and a processing component which controls the second marking engine to operate in a selected one of the first and second modes of operation.