Abstract: A printing cylinder assembly comprises a cylinder shell with opposite open ends. Cylinder heads are received into the opposite open ends of the shell and include stub axle shafts which project outwardly in opposite directions. The shell open ends are reinforced by collet rings having an internally tapered collet face matched to receive a correspondingly tapered face on the cylinder heads. The opposite axle shafts are both bored coaxially to receive an end-to-end drawbolt. Internally, the cylinder heads have a sleeved socket to receive one end of respective graphite fiber tubes. At opposite ends, the graphite tubes are terminated into respective pin and socket joints. In assembly, the cylinder heads are faced to the sleeve collets with the graphite tube pin and socket joints meshed. The drawbolt is inserted along the axis length of the assembly and drawn tight by washer-nut fasteners.