Abstract: A rotary printing press for printing single sheets has a transfer drum for conveying sheets singly from a feeder table to the periphery of a printing drum rotating at a constant velocity. To make up for the lag introduced between the tail end of each sheet and the leading edge of the next following sheet as the latter is picked up from the feeder table, the transfer drum in carrying the sheet to the printing drum accelerates the sheet to a speed greater than the peripheral speed of the printing drum before slowing the sheet down to the peripheral speed of the printing drum prior to transfer of the sheet to the latter.

Abstract: A rotary cylinder printing press in which the disadvantages incurred by having to stop each sheet to set it in registration with the printing cylinder are overcome by carrying the longitudinal register on a transfer cylinder so that the sheets can be set in exact register with the printing cylinder without stopping. The transfer cylinder is rotated continuously in the same direction and its speed is varied cyclically as each sheet is set in register and then transferred to the printing cylinder. The transfer cylinder is also provided with a safety system which detects misalignment of sheets or damaged sheets to prevent the transfer cylinder from conveying such sheets to the printing cylinder.