Print material variable support mechanism

A print material variable support mechanism to reduce buckling of print material toward a printhead during printing. The preferred embodiment includes a moveable platen pivotally mounted adjacent a drive roller. The platen is positioned adjacent and below a printhead such that the printhead and the platen define a print zone therebetween. A measuring device is operatively associated with a print controller such that the print controller effects movement of the platen during relatively high ink density printing such that the sheet is allowed to buckle downwardly. In the preferred embodiment, the measuring device is an ink drop counter which determines how many ink drops are placed on the sheet to create the desired image.