Device for printing packages which are fed individually to a printing unit

A device for printing flat packages fed individually to a printing unit of a franking machine, pass the printing unit on at least one side in a manner which is driven in a frictionally locking manner, and are guided on a side edge in a conveying direction, comprising:

• a conveying apparatus that grips the packages at a front end in the conveying direction, the conveying apparatus including a conveying unit;
• and
• a guide plate arranged on an underside of the printing unit so as to form a conveying plane of a conveying gap/channel with the conveying unit of the conveying apparatus,
• wherein, as viewed in the conveying direction of the packages, the conveying unit has at least two endless drawing means next to and spaced from each other, each of the two endless drawing means circulates a common axle on deflecting rollers,
• an upper run of the drawing means, which faces the guide plate, and a lower run of the drawing means are guided on running rollers mounted freely rotatably in pairs so as to lie opposite one another at pivotable ends of one of a plurality of double levers of the conveying unit, which pivotable ends are assigned to the upper run and the lower run, respectively, of the drawing means and are formed by angled-away lever arms of the double levers, the pivotable ends being supported on an inner side of the runs by spring force that acts on the double levers,
• wherein the running rollers that support the upper run form a conveying plane that is parallel to the transport plane, and
• wherein the conveying gap/channel has a cross-sectional height that is determined by a thickness of a package which is fed in, under action of a spring force on the double lever, wherein the drawing means have an approximately circular cross section made from an elastic material.