The present disclosure relates to warming-up a printing device or machine having multiple Integrated Marking Engines (IMEs). It finds particular application in conjunction with xerographic devices or machines, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that it is also amenable to other like applications.
Printing devices are known to include multiple IMEs. For example, printing devices are known which include two or more IMEs. Typically, before such printing devices begin printing, each IME therein is warmed-up. The IME warm-up commonly occurs during the initial powering-up or turning-on of the printing device, or when the printing device is awoken from a sleep, stand-by or other like power conservation mode. IME warm-up generally includes supplying electrical power to the IME for a period of time, e.g., to bring a fuser and/or other components of the IME from a lower ambient temperature up to a target operating temperature or otherwise prepare the IME for operation. Once the warm-up is completed, the power supplied to the IME is typically reduced from a warm-up level to a lower operating level.
Conventionally, all the IMEs within the printing device are warmed-up simultaneously. Accordingly, the total power available to the device for IME warm-up is divided across all of the IMEs in the device. Depending on various factors, e.g., the thermal mass of the individual fusers and the total available power for IME warm-up, the warm-up time for the printing device can be undesirably long. Moreover, the simultaneous warm-up of multiple IMEs within a printing device can negatively impact a first-page-out-time (FPOT) of the printing device, i.e., the time it takes for the printing device in a given instance to provide or output the first copied or printed page of an input job. Generally, a long FPOT can result in dissatisfaction to the user.
Accordingly, a new and improved multiple IME printing device and/or method for warming-up multiple IMEs within a printing device are disclosed that overcome the above-referenced problems and others.