1. A method for classifying incoming media entering a printing device comprising the steps of: optically viewing a portion of an incoming medium to generate data indicative of characteristics of said incoming medium; subjecting said data to at least one neural network for determining a medium type, said neural network being adaptive with respect to determinations of assignments of weights for application to said data, said assignments being based upon adaptive training of said neural network; and selecting an operational print mode for said printing device at least partially based on an output of said neural network.