More accurately correcting sheet position and skew in a desired print media sheet trajectory in a printer paper path, with a registration system including sheet drive nips defined by laterally spaced and differentially driven elastomer surfaced frictional sheet drive rollers and mating undriven idler rollers have a non-slip rotational sheet engagement. The undriven idler rollers have rotary encoders producing encoder signals corresponding to their rotation by a sheet in the nip, which encoder signals are provided to a controller for the registration system to control forward and differential drive motor systems for the sheet drive rollers so as to substantially correct for errors in the desired trajectory of said sheet by sheet drag forces acting on the elastomer surfaced sheet drive rollers in the sheet drive nips.