Soft nip sheet folding apparatus

The folder assembly has a nip positioned to drive a sheet in a predetermined plane including an idler roll and a drive roll in contact with the first idler roll and adapted to initially accept a sheet from a source and transport it in a first direction in the predetermined plane. A second nip includes the first idler roll and a second idler roll positioned adjacent to and in contact with the first idler roll, the drive roll being adapted to drive both the first and second idler rolls so as to transport the sheet in the first direction in the predetermined plane before folding of the sheet takes place and in a second direction orthogonal to the predetermined plane when folding of the sheet takes place. A third nip is positioned in the same plane as the first and receives the sheet driven by the first nip. A control reversibly drives the third nip such that the sheet driven into the third nip by the first nip is initially driven in the first direction and after a predetermined period of time is driven in a reverse direction. The driving of the sheet in the reverse direction against the driving of the sheet by the first nip causes a buckle to form in the sheet with the buckle being captured by the second nip and forming a crease in the sheet.