Abstract: Gear drive, more particularly a gear drive for a rotary printing press, wherein there are gear couples each consisting of a male gear, and a female gear, the male gear having rollers instead of teeth, such rollers being seated in sockets, the female gear having sockets which are complementary to the rollers; the rollers being mounted in side plates and by such means that they are held firmly (but resiliently) against the bottoms of their sockets. An alternative design employs sprockets with a roller chain drive.