Abstract: A gripper cylinder for a folding apparatus, the gripper cylinder having a cylinder shaft on which a cylinder body is mounted and at least two gripper stations mounted to the cylinder body. The gripper stations include grippers and corresponding gripper bases. An adjustment mechanism is provided for adjusting the distance between each gripper and its corresponding gripper base to correspond to the thickness of a product to be gripped. The gripper mechanism is operative to simultaneously adjust all of the gripper stations.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing printed products to a gatherer, including a product supplier for feeding printed products, a product separator positioned to receive printed products from the product supplier and to separate the printed products into a separated stream, a printer positioned adjacent to the separated stream and positioned to print on the separated printed products, and a gripper conveyor positioned to receive the separated printed products from the printer and to form a shingled stream.

Abstract: A clamp for gripping an edge of a plate that is mounted on the surface of a rotatable drum. The clamp includes a hinge, attached to the drum and including a pivot axis, and a gripper, formed to have a tip, operative to press the edge of the plate against the drum. The gripper is attached to the hinge so that the center of mass of the gripper is in a direction from the pivot axis that is generally opposite the direction of the tip from the pivot axis.

Abstract: A drive system for an oscillating gripper of a sheet-fed printing machine has a main drive train and a controlled drive. The pregripper is mechanically coupled to the main drive train. The controlled drive supplies energy required to drive the pregripper in accordance with a position of the pregripper. The controlled drive at least approximately meets the discontinuous energy requirement of the pregripper.

Abstract: A method for smear-free guidance of a printed sheet on a given sheet-guiding cylinder of a printing press includes taking over a leading edge of the sheet by a gripper device of the given sheet-guiding cylinder from a preceding or up-line sheet-guiding cylinder and, after the take-over of the leading edge of the sheet by the gripper device, fixing a first section of the underside of the sheet to the circumferential surface of the preceding or up-line sheet-guiding cylinder in a manner that the sheet, which has been pushed onwardly by the preceding or up-line sheet-guiding cylinder, is kept spaced from the circumferential surface of the given sheet-guiding cylinder, and the circumferential surface of the given sheet-guiding cylinder is located, as viewed in radial direction, within a circular path described by the gripper device during the rotation of the given cylinder.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for conveying a stream of printed products. The printed products are first conveyed along a first conveyor loop in a position in which they are oriented essentially tangentially to the conveying direction, and are transferred to a second conveyor loop. To facilitate the transfer, the printed products are brought into a transfer position, in which at least one region of each printed product is oriented at an angle to the tangential orientation.

Abstract: Device for laterally aligning sheets in a feeder of a sheet-fed rotary printing press wherein sheets having respective leading edges aligned at front lays of a feeder table are gripped by a gripper system of a pregripper in succession individually at an edge region thereof, and transferred with a swivelling or revolving movement to a gripper system of a revolvingly driven feed cylinder, includes motorized adjustment elements for laterally displacing at least one of the gripper systems transversely to sheet travel through the printing press, measuring elements for determining an actual position of a side edge of a respective sheet on the feeder table, and a setpoint- actual value comparator for comparing a setpoint position of the side edge of the respective sheet on the feeder table with the actual position of the side edge determined by the measuring elements, and for generating pulses for controlling the measuring elements in accordance with the comparison.

Abstract: A device for transferring slips of paper from a first rotationally-driven cylinder to a second rotationally-driven cylinder. Each cylinder has a pincers-like gripper including a controlled, pivotal jaw that has the form of a blade cooperating with a rigid jaw of the same cylinder. The pivotal jaw also operates as a controlled insertion blade that slides the slips of paper into the opened gripper of the other cylinder. The structural design of the device is simplified due to the fact that the pivotal blade-shaped jaw of each cylinder is provided with a second control that can be activated on command which deactivates the control of the pincers movement of the jaw and controls the jaw in such a way that it functions as the insertion blade.

Abstract: A document feeder which has a document transportation path curved with a curvature radius such that a document original is reversed and fed therethrough to a document setting surface. The document feeder further includes a pair of rollers respectively disposed inside and outside of the curvature of the document transportation path in an opposed relation and adapted to hold the document original therebetween for guiding the document original to the document setting surface. The rollers abut against each other in a position upstream of the vertex of the curvature of the document transportation path with respect to a document transportation direction.

Abstract: A printing medium winding apparatus includes a drum on a periphery of which a leading-end holding device and a trailing-end engaging groove are provided. The holding device and engaging groove hold and engage with a leading end and trailing end of a printing paper sheet, respectively, when the paper sheet is fed to the drum. The apparatus further includes a paper sheet lifting device which presses the sheet on the periphery of the drum to keep the sheet in close contact with the periphery, and lifts a part of the sheet from the periphery to be curved and projected radially outwardly until the trailing end of the sheet reaches the engaging groove so that the trailing end can be inserted into the engaging groove.

Abstract: A device for selectively extracting samples from a folding unit is provided. The device includes a signature transport system for transporting signatures to a deceleration device. The deceleration device has a plurality of rotating arms with gripping elements assigned thereto for seizing signatures emerging-from the transport system. Portions of the signature transport system or selectively actuable gripping elements either deliver sample signatures to a delivery system or deviate sample signatures into an alternate transport path.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet handling apparatus having a hopper drum (1) for receiving individual signatures (23) from a feed tray, the hopper drum being equipped with at least one set of signature seizing grippers (16). A hopper drum surface element (13) revolves counter to a direction of rotation (7) of the hopper drum (1) upon reversal of direction (33) of the signatures (23). A seizing element (26) is assigned to the direction reversal position (38) of the signatures (23).

Abstract: A drive for a gripper mechanism of a feeding device for feeding separate products, for instance loose sheets, to a packaging or labelling machine, which gripper mechanism is arranged on a drivable drum (1) and comprises gripper elements (2) for gripping the products to be fed separately, wherein the drive of the gripper elements (2) comprises a toothed belt transmission (3, 4, 5), with the gripper elements (2) being connected to the driven pulley (3), and the driving pulley (5) being drivable by a double cam mechanism (6, 6', 7, 7', 8, 9).

Abstract: The present invention discribes a rotatable print drum apparatus for supporting thereon a printable medium having leading and trailing edges. The print drum comprises a relieved support surface for supporting the print medium wherein the relieved surface is formed with a recessed surface and a plurality of ribs protruding from the recessed surface in order to minimize contact of the print medium with the support surface of the drum.

Abstract: A rotatable gripper drum includes a seat mounted on the drum and a gripper supported on the drum for pivotal movement relative to the seat between an open position and a closed position. The seat is made from a resilient material and includes a body portion having first and second grip surfaces. The drum has a retaining pocket for receiving the body portion of the seat to secure the seat for rotation with the drum. The seat is selectively mountable in the retaining pocket with the body portion in a first orientation in which the first grip surface cooperates with the gripper to grip sheet material or in a second orientation in which the second grip surface cooperates with the gripper to grip sheet material.

Abstract: A cylinder of a rotary printing machine having an inner cylinder body includes an elastically deformable cylinder jacket formed as part of a circle, the cylinder jacket being substantially intrinsically rigid, and an adjusting device for acting upon the elastically deformable cylinder jacket so as to vary the outer diameter thereof, the adjusting device having a positioning part supported on and radially displaceable relative to the inner cylinder body for shifting the cylinder jacket jointly therewith in the same radial direction, and having a force deflector displaceable over a positioning travel distance derivable from the radial displacement of the cylinder jacket for acting upon the cylinder jacket so as to deform it.

Abstract: A feeder for feeding material along a feed path. The feeder includes a conveyer, a sensor and a control system. The conveyer operates at a normal cyclical rate to transfer the material along the feed path. The sensor mounts on the feeder and detects the material being fed. The sensor detects and signals fault when the material is fed in an undesirable manner. The control system couples with the conveyer and with the sensor and responds to the sensor to slow the conveyer to a reduced cyclical rate when the sensor signals fault. The reduced cyclical rate is less than the normal cyclical rate to enable the feeder to self-correct and thereby eliminate the fault. When the conveyer operates at the reduced cyclical rate and the feeder has self-corrected, the sensor ceases to detect fault and the control system speeds the conveyer back to the normal cyclical rate.

Abstract: In order to improve a gripper opening/closing mechanism of a sheet transfer cylinder in a sheet-fed printing machine in the prior art, the gripper opening/closing mechanism of the sheet transfer cylinder in the sheet-fed printing machine comprises: a plurality of grippers; a gripper shaft whereupon the plurality of grippers are disposed over specific intervals; and a cam mechanism provided at each of two ends of the gripper shaft, which cause the gripper shaft to move when the sheet transfer cylinder has rotated to a first specific position so that the grippers and the external circumferential side surface of the sheet transfer cylinder come in contact with each other and causes the gripper shaft to move in the opposite direction when the sheet transfer cylinder has rotated to a second specific position so that the grippers and the external circumferential side surface of the sheet transfer cylinder depart from each other.

Abstract: An apparatus for gripping and conveying sheet-like products includes a single or multiple conveying tracks for supporting a gripping device, or a series of gripping devices linked in the form of a chain. The gripping device has a support moving within or along a conveying track. The gripping device engages sheet-like products, and includes at least two grippers which are actuatable independently from one another. The grippers allow different portions of the sheet-like products to be conveyed to different locations.

Abstract: An arrangement has a rotor with rotor arms that are arranged in a drum-like manner around an axis of rotation and project on one side from a carrying element that is driven in rotation. The arrangement also has a sucker arrangement that includes a carrying arm which is driven by a drive. At a free end of the carrying arm there is arranged an extension arm with a suction head. The movement path of the suction head runs in the interior of the rotor, with the exception of an approximately V-shaped section of the movement path projecting in a radial direction outside the rotor. When the extension arm runs through this section, it passes through a cutout of the rotor in order to grip a corner region of a printed product and move the printed product into the interior of the rotor. A rotor arm then engages beneath the printed product and lifts it further in order to deliver it to a range of action of a removal conveyor.

Abstract: To load a gathering segment of a gather-stitcher, a printed sheet feeder includes a conveyor drum that draws printed sheets from the bottom of a stack. A stop apparatus halts the printed sheets at the end of their circulating path at the conveyor drum and is disposed downstream of a guide device which, with the conveyor drum, forms a guide gap. An opening apparatus follows the stop apparatus and is disposed upstream of the printed sheets. The guide gap is adjustable by the conveyed printed sheets.

Abstract: A registration/indexing system is disclosed having a conveyor system (20), a gate (30), a plurality of hard rollers (40,50) and a plurality of soft rollers (60).

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to securing a sheet medium onto a support surface and, more particularly, to a print drum for supporting a flexible film sheet medium on a relieved support surface so as to desensitize to medium to the effects of debris contamination and air turbulence for allowing the sheet to be imprinted with consistent resolution.

Abstract: Point needles in a collecting cylinder are driven in a two stage extension process to initially needle or pierce the leading edge of a product web being cut. Once the cut has been made, the needle tips are moved further radially outwardly from the cylinder to secure the cut edge. As the signatures are transferred to a folding cylinder, the needle points are retracted along a single stage retraction curve which is different from the path traveled during the two stage extension process.

Abstract: A sheet reversing apparatus for a sheet-fed rotary press with a reversing mechanism includes a paper convey cylinder, gaps, a reversing mechanism, a paper trailing end holding member, a moving unit, and a pivoting unit. The moving unit performs a moving operation of the paper trailing end holding member which projects or retreats along an arc with respect to the outer surface of the paper convey cylinder in accordance with a pivotal movement of the paper convey cylinder. The pivoting unit performs a pivoting operation of the paper trailing end holding member in accordance with a movement of the paper trailing end holding member.

Abstract: Gripper control for a cyclically rockingly driven pregripper for single-sheet feeding in a sheet-fed printing press, the pregripper being disposed at a free end of a rocker lever, which is swivelable about a rocker shaft fixed to a frame of the printing press, and having at least one sheet gripper forcibly movable by cams about an articulated shaft disposed parallel to the rocker shaft, for closing and opening the sheet gripper when the sheet is taken over and transferred, respectively, one of the cams being revolvable a single revolution, and another of the cams being disposed on a locally stationarily swivelable roller lever carrying a cam roller engaging with the one cam, the other cam being swivelable cyclically in the position thereof, the position of the cams determining the closing time and opening time of the gripper, includes an indexing mechanism for fixing the other cam on the locally stationarily swivelable roller lever, the other cam having a first gripper-closing cam region and a first gripper-o

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rolling a recording paper is disclosed which is characterized by causing first nipping means disposed on a cylindrical drum to nip one end of the recording paper, rotating the cylindrical drum thereby rolling the recording paper around the cylindrical drum, causing second nipping means to nip the other end of the recording paper, and moving the first nipping means so as to bring the recording paper into close contact with the cylindrical drum. Owing to the construction, the recording paper and the ink sheet can be easily and infallibly brought into close contact with the cylindrical drum.

Abstract: The actual position of a leading edge of a transversely folded signature is detected. This actual position detection event is used to trigger an instantaneous measurement of the actual angular position of the gripper system used for receiving the signature. If the leading edge of the signature is predicted to arrive at the gripper system of the receiving cylinder at other than the appropriate time, the speed of the receiving cylinder is corrected.

Abstract: Rotary printing press having a product delivery unit including a conveyor system revolving in a conveyor path, and a further-processing unit disposed downline therefrom and having a product-guiding cylinder for conveying incoming products through the further-processing unit, includes folding modules disposed downline from the delivery unit for performing folding operations on the conveyed products during the conveyance thereof, at least one of the folding modules being integrated with the conveyor system.

Abstract: Chain drive with an endless chain formed by sideplate pairs and by articulated joints having mutually parallel joint axes and connecting the sideplate pairs, each of the joints having a chain roller concentric with the respective joint axis and having a cylindrical chain-roller contact surface, includes a supporting roller disposed at a longitudinal center of a chain link and having a rotational axis parallel to the joint axes, and a cylindrical supporting-roller contact surface tangential to a first tangential plane extending parallel to the joint axes of a first and a second joint, the first tangential plane being disposed opposite to and spaced from a second tangential plane likewise tangential to the supporting-roller contact surface, the first and the second tangential planes being disposed on one and the same side of a reference plane at respective first and second distances therefrom.

Abstract: A gripper device for two-dimensional products on guiding cylinders for the products, the guiding cylinders having respective end faces at which the guiding cylinders are supported in respective side frames, the gripper device including grippers disposed on a driven gripper shaft and cooperatively engageable with gripper pads of a radially movable gripper impact strip, a stop mounted on the driven gripper shaft, the stop being supported on and movable with the gripper impact strip, the products to be accepted being alignable between the gripper fingers, on the one hand, and the gripper impact strip, on the other hand, at the start of a closed stage of the gripper fingers.

Abstract: Sheet transfer drum mounted between printing units within side walls of a rotary printing press includes two gripper bars arranged symmetrically on a circumference of the sheet transfer drum so as to be located diametrically opposite one another on a y-axis of the sheet transfer drum; a drum body core formed with side surfaces extending between the gripper bars over the entire length of the sheet transfer drum within the circumference of the sheet transfer drum and having a convex curvature with a curvature gradient which is largest in the region of the x-axis and diminishes continuously towards the gripper bars.

Abstract: A device for controlling the gripping action of grippers on a plate-like workpiece at the end of the feeding table of a machine that processes sheet-like workpieces has an arrangement for controlling the upper mechanisms for positioning, respectively, the gripper bar, the sheet pull-down appliance, and a stop-carrying tablet and a mechanism for opening the grippers. This device includes a horizontal common axle arranged to extend crosswise to the sheet travelling direction and mounted for rotation around its lengthwise axis so as to be able to be oscillated through a predetermined angle by a single lower drive arrangement consisting of a cam, a lever follower and a pull linkage. Each lateral end of this common axle carries a symmetrical series of articulated arms and cam which actuate the above-mentioned upper mechanisms.

Abstract: Device for feeding single-sheet material to a cylinder accepting the single-sheet material, with feed channels to which, respectively, at least one friction-roller set is assigned, the friction-roller set being mounted so as to be adjustable between a press-on position and a lift-off position, and being insertable into the feed channels cyclically with a feeding of sheet material, includes at least one swivelable transport member disposed adjacent the feed channels and, located at the feed channels downstream from the swivelable transport member, as viewed in sheet transport direction, sheet-guiding elements for maximizing accuracy of the feeding of the sheet material into sheet-holding elements of a sheet-guiding cylinder.

Abstract: A system for conveying flat products, such as folded newspapers. The products are received in imbricated formation on a first conveyor and passed to an intermediate or transfer conveyor, the receiving and of which is at a lower level than the discharge end of the first conveyor. The transfer conveyor accelerates the products to a conveyor which has gripping members that receive the leading edges of the products and which moves at a slower speed than the transfer conveyor. The acceleration of the products on the transfer conveyor assures that the leading edges are received within the gripping members.

Abstract: A modular copier/printer or similar image forming apparatus of the type having an image transfer body in the form of a drum or belt allows documents to be reproduced in a paper discharge mode which discharges paper sheets, or recording media, in page-sequential order. When an automatic two-sided copy mode is selected, the apparatus automatically sets up the page sequential paper discharge mode to a "collation mode" through a minimum number of sorter bins which has been optimally designed to correspond with the shortest two-sided copy loop. Hence, when mixed black-and-white documents and color documents are reproduced together in the automatic copy mode, paper sheets exit the apparatus in the correct page order. As a result of this automatic change in operating modes, fewer "skip" frames need be introduced during the copying operation, thereby enabling the copier to produce multiple collated copies of the multipage document very efficiently.

Abstract: Device for avoiding registration errors at an oscillating pregripper of a sheet-processing machine includes a gripper bar deflectable in synchronism with the machine so that a respective sheet being processed therein undergoes stretching in a trailing region of the sheet. The gripper bar, in a middle region thereof, is guided and driven in a flexurally bending-resistant manner. A feeder cylinder carries thrust pads at both sides thereof for deflecting the gripper bar at the ends thereof in a sheet travel direction before a respective transfer of a sheet at the feeder cylinder, and for maintaining the deflection until sheet transfer has been completed.

Abstract: Individual sheets are singled out in a delivery of a sheet-fed rotary printing press. The delivery has a chain delivery with gripper bars extending transversely to the sheet-transport direction. The gripper bars are disposed on revolvingly driven transport chains and carry spaced apart sheet grippers disposed side by side. The sheet grippers grip the leading edges of the sheets and slave them to a main sheet pile. The gripper release is subject to an adjustable control for delayed sheet release, so that selected sheets may be transported beyond the main sheet pile. Revolvingly drivable suction tapes suction-grip the sheets which are released by the grippers with the delay, and they transport those sheets in the transport direction across and beyond the main sheet pile and onto a single sheet depository. The sheet depository is movably disposed in or on the printing-press frame. The suction tapes have upper suction surfaces at a raised position which extend between the sheet grippers.

Abstract: A sheet-conveying drum for use between units in a printing machine is provided with a plurality of gripper bridges arranged substantially circumferentially symmetrically on the drum surface. The gripper bridges include gripper impact strips that are adjustable substantially radially relative to the drum in order to accommodate printing materials of different thickness. Each gripper impact strip is adjusted by means of a positioning device that is arranged on the drum radially inward of the gripper impact strip and mounted so that it can move axially relative to the drum and cam the gripper impact strip radially. The axial movement of each positioning device is brought about by an adjusting means which is selectively operated by a drive that is disposed in one of the drum journals.

Abstract: A process and an apparatus for the typographical labeling of folded printed products, such as folded individual sheets or folded publications, on an inner side, in particular in the border region of the inner side, is designed for carrying out this typographical printing in folded printed products which are conveyed with their fold approximately at right angles with respect to the conveying direction, and can thus be used with the conveying systems which are conventional nowadays in printing works for conveying printed products in the form of imbricated streams. The front and rear halves of the respective folded printed products are moved apart via an opening device, with the result that a printing head can carry out the desired typographical-labeling operation on the inner side of the folded printed product.

Abstract: A printing switching apparatus for a sheet-fed rotary press with a reversing mechanism includes a fixed gear, a rotary gear, a fixing unit, and a proximity switch. The fixed gear is fixed to the shaft of a first cylinder. The rotary gear is coaxial with the fixed gear, coupled to be driven with a second adjacent cylinder along a paper convey direction, and phase-adjustable with respect to the fixed gear in a circumferential direction. The fixing unit fixes the rotary gear to one of the fixed gear and the shaft of the first cylinder to perform rotational transmission such that phase switching of the rotary gear between single-sided printing and perfecting printing is performed when the fixing means is released, and the rotary gear is not fixed to one of the fixed gear and the shaft of the first cylinder.

Abstract: A sheet transfer drum of a multi-color sheet-fed rotary printing press. A central drum body with flat portions carries at least one gripper system which extends over the sheet width. Jacket segments are mounted on the flat portions of the drum body. The jacket segments are exchangeably attached and they are formed with an inflatable interior. When they are deflated, the jacket segments fold into the flat portions of the drum body.

Abstract: Pregripper of a sheet-fed printing press includes a drive unit for pivotally driving a pregripper bar secured to a pregripper support device, the drive unit having main and auxiliary cam elements disposed on a drive shaft so as to be fixed against rotation relative thereto, and cam follower members cooperatively engaging with the cam elements so as to produce a movement of the pregripper bar, the pregripper support device engaging the pregripper bar approximately centrally for introducing a force to produce the pivoting movement.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating stacked printed products includes suction heads anchored on a rotor by a respective swivel arm. The swivel arms are driven with regard to their swivel position by a swiveling drive superposed on the rotary drive of the rotor such that they enter the takeover point in pushing operation and leave the latter in pulling operation. At the deflecting point, the suction heads have time to suck against the edge of the respectively outermost product; by their tilting movement at the deflecting point, the seized product edge is separated definitely and reliably from the neighboring product. In connection with a transporting-away device with grippers circulating successively one after the other, the edge of the products is placed into the grippers by the suction heads swiveled during the circulation.

Abstract: An apparatus for advancing a sheet in a predetermined path is described. The apparatus includes a gripper for releasably grasping a lead edge of the sheet and a baffle for feeding the sheet into the gripper. The baffle includes a sheet directing member having a first facet and a second facet, with the second facet of the sheet directing member extending from the first facet and being angled towards the predetermined path of the sheet for deflecting the lead edge of the sheet being advanced into the gripper. One, two or more such two faceted sheet directing members may be coupled with one or more three faceted sheet directing members for further enhancing the sheet deflecting capabilities of the baffle. The baffle may be movable relative to the sheet path, and include a control member for moving the baffle between a first position engaging the lead edge of the sheet in the first position and second position in which the baffle is displaced from the path of the sheet.

Abstract: An image transfer apparatus comprises a platen (8) to which an image-forming material is to be attached and a transfer cylinder (1) to which an image receptor is to be attached. An image formed in a photosensitive layer of the image-forming material is transferred to image receptor by the introduction of the image-forming material and the image receptor into a nip formed by the platen and the transfer cylinder by the rotation of the platen and the transfer cylinder. The image transfer apparatus has an image receptor attaching device that includes holders (3,5) and holder seats (4,6) for holding the entire length of a top end side of the image receptor to a surface of the transfer cylinder and the entire length of a bottom end side of the image receptor to a surface of the transfer cylinder.

Abstract: An apparatus for gripping a sheet includes a first gripping member and a second gripping member, one or both of which are equipped with one or more inflatable self adjusting gripper pads or tubes. The inflatable gripper pad provides a more efficient, reliable and cost effective method for the first gripping member and the second gripping member to cooperate together so as to releasably grip a sheet in a printing or copying machine. A spring and cam following system may be used to move the first gripping member in relation to the second gripping member. A mechanical or electromechanical pump may be used to inflate and deflate the inflatable gripper pads so as to provide the gripping action on the sheet or so as to vary the gripping pressure created by a spring and cam system.

Abstract: There are method and apparatus for automatically clamping and cinching a flexible sheet medium on a rotatable supporting surface with clamping and cinching forces which independently increase as function of the rotational speed of the support surface. The clamp applies such forces to at least one edge of the sheet medium in a manner so that the sheet edge will not bend or push the sheet edge away from a pivot axis of the clamp so as to reduce sheet medium separation.

Abstract: Tandem magazines store tray blanks of different size for loading product in different pack patterns. Each magazine has a depending cam device that engages unique lugs on the tray conveyor to allow the lowermost blank to be received on the tray conveyor, and then to be gripped by the unique lug for transport downstream toward the load station. Since only one magazine is used at one time these cam devices can be deactivated as desired. One of the two blank withdrawing means associated with each magazine is located under the tray blank conveyor and operates in timed relationship with it. The blank withdrawing means are also selectively deactivated for the same reason.

Abstract: A folding cylinder for a web-fed rotary printing press is provided with signature end engaging point spurs. The cylinder is also provided with signature grippers which will engage the signature end or sides so that the point spurs can be retracted at a slower rate of speed to thereby avoid damaging the signature end.