A method of operating a flexographic printing press, the flexographic printing press having:
- at least two flexographic printing units embodied as duplex printing units with a central impression cylinder;
- or
- at least two said flexographic printing units embodied as the duplex printing units with two impression cylinders;
- the duplex printing units containing a flexographic printing unit per duplex printing unit, the flexographic printing unit containing a printing cylinder carrying a sleeve with at least one flexographic printing forme, an impression cylinder and an anilox roller;
- the duplex printing units containing a further flexographic printing unit per said duplex printing unit, the further flexographic printing unit containing a further printing cylinder carrying a further sleeve with at least a further flexographic printing forme, the impression cylinder as the central impression cylinder or a further impression cylinder and a further anilox roller;
- and
- wherein at least one parameter of the flexographic printing press being set, which comprises the steps of:
- marking the sleeve and the further sleeve with a respective machine-readable ID configured as a unique identifier for a respective sleeve being either the sleeve or the further sleeve;
- determining the respective machine readable ID and respective data for the respective sleeve and/or for a respective flexographic printing forme in a measurement device, separate from the flexographic printing press, and the respective data for the respective machine readable ID being stored outside of the flexographic printing press on a digital computer and/or in a digital memory;
- recording the respective machine readable ID in the flexographic printing unit and in the further flexographic printing unit;
- transmitting the respective data stored for the respective machine readable ID to a respective flexographic printing unit;
- using the respective data when setting the at least one parameter;
- recording at least one image of a surface of the sleeve or of multiple sleeves with the at least one flexographic printing forme by means of a camera before a printing operation for a purpose of configuring a register controller of the flexographic printing press;
- subjecting the at least one image to digital image processing to localize at least one or at least two register marks in terms of their x-y position;
- and
- automating a configuration of the register controller for a detection of the register marks using x-y positional data of register marks.