Abstract: A copy production machine having a document feed and a collator controls collator operation for optimum performance in accordance with the status of the original document feed. The collator has a construction such that collation of a moving vane in a first relative direction with respect to a set of collator bins provides more reliable collation operation for enhancing throughput. When an original document is in a position to be copied upon the ending of a current copy production run, collation occurs in both directions of relative motion, whereas in the absence of such original document in the document feed position, collation only occurs in the preferred direction. In other aspects of the invention, whenever copies from multiple images are simultaneously being processed by the copy production machine, collation occurs in both directions of collation, whereas when copies bear images of a single image then collation only occurs in the preferred direction.