Gravure printing unit with inking unit cylinders

A gravure printing unit for printing onto a substrate according to a gravure printing method, the gravure printing unit comprising:

• a forme cylinder which includes, on a circumference of the forme cylinder, a pattern of recesses for forming an image, and
• an inking unit for inking the pattern of recesses on the circumference of the forme cylinder, the inking unit comprising a first inking unit cylinder which includes, on an outer cylindrical surface of the first inking unit cylinder, line-like recesses that correspond to line-like recesses of the pattern of recesses on the circumference of the forme cylinder,
• the inking unit further including an inking device by means of which the first inking unit cylinder can be inked at an application point on the outer cylindrical surface of the first inking unit cylinder, and a second inking unit cylinder, which cooperates with the first inking unit cylinder,
• the inking device, on at least a downstream side of the application point in an operating direction of rotation of the first inking unit cylinder, further comprising a retaining means, which is formed by a wiping means that, at least in an operating position, is in physical contact with the outer cylindrical surface of the first inking unit cylinder and configured as a doctor blade, which can be used to remove printing ink that has been applied to non-engraved regions of the outer cylindrical surface of the first inking unit cylinder,
• wherein two end-aligned line-like recesses on the outer cylindrical surface of the first inking unit cylinder are separated by a supporting ridge, the two end-aligned line-like recesses corresponding to a single uninterrupted line-like recess on the circumference of the forme cylinder, and wherein an upper surface of the supporting ridge lies at a level of an undisrupted region of the outer cylindrical surface of the first inking unit cylinder.