System and method for lubricating a transfer roller with an image member

Abstract

Ghosting conditions occur less frequently during duplex printing when a transfix roller in a printer is enabled to remain in rolling contact with release agent on a print drum after a trailing edge of a media sheet has left a transfix nip between the transfix roller and the print drum. A printer in which such rolling contact occurs includes a print drum for receiving ink ejected by a print head, a release agent applicator located proximate to the print drum to apply release agent to the print drum, a transfix roller located proximate to the print drum, a displaceable linkage coupled to the transfix roller to move the transfix roller into and out of contact with the print drum, a controller coupled to the displaceable linkage for generating signals that cause the displaceable linkage to move the transfix roller, the controller being configured to generate a transfix signal, a roll-off signal, and a release signal, and the displaceable linkage responds to the transfix signal to move the transfix roller to form the transfix nip with the print drum, the displaceable linkage responds to the roll-off signal to move the transfix roller away from the print drum so the transfix roller remains in rolling contact with the print drum with reduced pressure being exerted on the print drum, and the displaceable linkage responds to the release signal to move the transfix roller out of rolling contact with the print drum.