Abstract: To permit web portions (16, 17; 18, 19; 20, 21) slit from longitudinal webs (2a, 2b, 2c) to be selectively interleaved or interlaced, with or without turning over, pairs of turning bars or rods (6, 7; 8, 9; 10, 11; 12, 13) are located in essentially vertically aligned position; laterally of the turning rods, two deflection rollers (22, 23) are positioned which can be individually movably shifted by individual drive motors (32) operating a gear on a rack formed on guide rails, so that the deflection rollers can be selectively positioned at the level of a selected pair of turning rods. This permits placement of a web portion, right side up or turned over, between a pair of web portions which is not necessarily the next adjacent one in the vertical sequence of superimposed webs arriving at the interlacing or interleaving system.

Abstract: To selectively place web portions slit from a printed paper web with a left web portion above a right one over a right web portion above the left one, the parallel-arriving web portions are so guided through a turning bar looping of the right or left web about the turning bars, with superposition, which involves a 90.degree. position change of the turning bars, and while maintaining the air cushion between the paper web and the turning bars, the level of the arriving web with respect to the first-encountered or passed over or looped about turning bar is controlled or so set that the web will engage the turning bar tangentially with the plane of the arriving web portion and delivery web portion parallel to each other, by, respectively, guiding the web portion either above the turning bar pair or from below the turning bar pair, upon 90.degree. shift of the turning bar pair.