A paper drive system for a fiber optic cathode ray tube based recorder in which a rotating compliant foam pressure pad maintains the paper in intimate contact with the fiber optic faceplate. The paper web from a paper supply is gripped between a tire on the rotating pressure pad and a drive roller before passing the faceplate, and thereafter is gripped between the tire on the pressure pad and an idler roller.

The invention provides a method for compensating synchronization errors in non-impact printers, without influencing the transport of the record carrier and without changing the printing frequency of the printing elements. A control value is derived from a difference between the actual transport speed and a predetermined transport speed of the record carrier. This control value is used to vertically deflect the recording beam, after each picture line, by a fraction of the predetermined picture line spacing. The sum of the cumulative vertical deflections are compared with the value of the picture line spacing, and the recording of the next picture line is delayed by one deflection period of the recording beam when the sum is greater than or equal to the value of the picture line spacing.

A multi-mode imaging system provides the capability of reproducing documents in a conventional COPY mode wherein a document is placed on a platen and scanned to create an exposed latent image on a photosensitive member. The system is adapted to operate in a second, print (WRITE) mode wherein an image bar, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) array or a liquid crystal shutter (LCS), is placed into optical alignment with a fixed optical system including a linear lens array. The image bar is electrically addressed to create a light output in an image-wise pattern (LCD) or to change the state of the LCS. The image output is optically coupled into the lens array which projects the image onto the photosensitive member. In one embodiment, the image bar is partially within the end portion of a movable plate.

Image formation and development apparatus using electrostatic techniques which is suitable for plain paper printing is provided wherein a cathode ray pin tube is used with a flexible discontinuous dielectric member that is moved past the pin tube, the selectively energized pins providing information-bearing areas (i.e. toner attracting areas) on the dielectric member; the latent electrostatic image is developed and may thereafter to transferred to plain paper and fixed for subsequent use. The apparatus includes pin tube cleaning means operative when the belt discontinuity passes the pin tube face.

An optical imaging system (18) radiates a light image of an original document (13) onto a photoconductive drum (16) to form a first electrostatic image. The light image is also focussed on a photosensor array (44) which produces electrical signals corresponding thereto. These signals are fed through a contour compensation circuit (49) which increases the contrast at the black-white transition points of the image and thereby at the contours of the image areas. The contour compensated signals are radiated by an array of light emitting elements (46) onto the drum (16) to form a second electrostatic image which is superimposed on the first electrostatic image. The result is an increase in the apparent resolution of a copy or reproduction produced by applying toner to the drum (16) to form a toner image and transferring and fixing the toner image to a copy sheet. The arrays (44) and (46) may be used separately for facsimile transmission and reception respectively.