The present invention provides a pinch wheel for a printer having a polymeric surface that is sufficiently soft to minimize physical marring of an imaging surface and sufficiently inert to minimize transfer of fluids from the pinch wheel to media being fed through the printer and contacting the wheel. The polymeric surface can have low water permeability polymeric properties and can be poly(ethylene); poly(ethylene)-lined polymeric materials; poly(tetrafluoroethylene); and poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-lined polymeric material.