Abstract: A printing method and apparatus which use a sleeve-shaped printing form attached to a rotating body. The sleeve-shaped form conveniently permits the printing operation to be performed continuously and on both sides of the print career simultaneously. The sleeves preferably exhibit a number of process-specific functional layers. Exemplary layers are: (1) a supporting metal sleeve, (2) an intermediate metal layer for carrying the ink, and (3) a surface metal layer for carrying the water. Copper is an exemplary intermediate layer, and chromium is used as the surface metal layer.