Abstract: A bender for plastic printing plates locates the line of fold from the leading edge of the plate by providing positioning means adjacent the die surface. The printing plate is placed on a flat base and adjusted to engage the positioning means, the latter in alignment relative to the die. Next, a guide means lifts an edge segment of the plate into a position for engagement by a channel carried by the die. As the die swingably moves through an arc, the edge segment is reversely folded back and into contact with an adjacent area of the sheet while forming a crease sufficient to overcome a substantial part of the memory of the sheet along the line of fold. Consequently, plate image will be precisely parallel to the line of fold, thereby minimizing setup time. Also, plates of various lengths may be bent without adjusting the bender.