Delivery device and method for operating a delivery device

A delivery device for a sheet-processing machine comprising:

• a first delivery station and a conveyor system, by means of which conveyor system substrate sheets that are processed upstream, in a direction of sheet conveyance in the sheet-processing machine, can be received at a transfer point and conveyed, via a first conveyor section of the conveyor system, to the first delivery station and delivered to one of a first pile to be formed at a first pile space in the first delivery station down-stream, in the direction of sheet conveyance, and conveyed further beyond said first pile, via a second conveyor section of the conveyor system, to a second delivery station comprising a second pile space, where the substrate sheets can be delivered by the conveyor system to a second pile to be formed;
• and
• one of a holding device having one or more holding means, which one or more holding means are spaced from one another transversely to the direction of sheet conveyance and which one or more holding means, in a holding position, are placed in physical contact with a topmost layer of one of the first and second piles for holding a topmost sheet of the pile one of the first and second piles down, thereby preventing it from one of being carried away and lifted off when a substrate sheet to be conveyed beyond the one of the first and second piles is being conveyed past, and a sheet guiding element, which sheet guiding element adjoins the first delivery station and at least an upstream end of which sheet guiding element can be varied, in terms of a vertical position by, an actuating drive, via which sheet guiding element a substrate sheet to be conveyed further downstream beyond the first delivery station by the conveyor system can be guided and transported.