A media handling system for delivering media sheets to be printed from a staging location to a drum along a media path, including: at least one drive roller positioned along the media path between the staging location and the drum; a sensor positioned along the media path between the at least one drive roller and the drum; and, an encoder that provides an output responsive to the sensor; wherein, when the at least one drive roller advances a media sheet from the staging location to engage the drum, the sensor detects a position of the advancing media sheet prior to engaging the drum, and the rate of further advancing of the media sheet to engage the drum by the at least one drive roller is dependent upon the encoder output.