concentrations at the inrunning nip surface 36 consequently frictional forces and temperatures were high along the compliant transport system nip shoe interface these conditions required more energy to be consumed in moving the compliant transport system bearing and material lives decreased because more tension was required on the compliant transport system to remove the undesirable bulge at the inrunning nip consequently the existing shoe design would involve frequent parts replacement corresponding lost production and inevitable paper quality deterioration during the marginal operation of a worn compliant transport system the invention offers a solution to the above described problems one objective of the invention was to gradually distribute and apply pressure from the nip shoe 24 fig3 to the web of paper 26 against a press roll 22 this gradual pressure application would eliminate the problem causing bulge in the compliant belt 32 lower felt 30 and upper felt 28 a second objective of the invention was to maintain a film of lubricant along the interface of the nip shoe 24 and compliant belt 32 to decrease the frictional forces and associated high temperatures the extended nip shoe 24 fig3 performs as a hydrodynamic bearing a web of paper 26 may be sandwiched between an upper felt 28 and a lower felt 30 in the alternative paper processing may occur in the absence of an upper felt 28 a compliant belt 32 contacts lower felt 30 prior to reaching the inrunning nip point 38 formed between the nip shoe 24 and press roll 22 prior to contacting lower felt 30 compliant belt 32 is lubricated for its passage along the shoe press roll interface by passing over lubricant reservoir 40 the lubricant is maintained at a level sufficiently high to contact the transport belt 32.