Offset lithographic printing press having seamed sleeved printing blanket

The combination of an improved seamed sleeved printing blanket with an offset lithographic printing press having a plate cylinder that has an axial, a radial, and a circumferential direction, said plate cylinder also having an outer circumferential surface, said outer circumferential surface of said plate cylinder being interrupted by a plate cylinder gap extending in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of said plate cylinder, with said plate cylinder gap having a plate cylinder gap width measured in the circumferential direction of said plate cylinder across said plate cylinder gap, and said printing press having a printing plate mounted substantially radially outwardly of said plate cylinder, said printing plate having a leading end, a trailing end, and two sides, said leading and trailing ends of said printing plate being tucked into said plate cylinder gap when said printing plate is mounted on said plate cylinder, said printing plate mounted on said plate cylinder having an axial, a radial, and a circumferential direction, said printing plate having a printing plate image-bearing surface that does not include said leading and trailing ends of said printing plate, said printing plate image-bearing surface being located on the radially outwardmost surface of said printing plate when said printing plate is mounted on said plate cylinder, said printing plate image-bearing surface being capable of bearing an inked image and transferring said inked image to said printing blanket, said printing plate image-bearing surface having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and two side edges, said leading edge and said trailing edge of said printing plate image-bearing surface defining a printing plate image-bearing width measured across the image-bearing surface in the circumferential direction of said printing plate image-bearing surface when said printing plate is mounted on said plate cylinder, and said printing press further having a blanket cylinder that has an axial, a radial, and a circumferential direction, said blanket cylinder having a substantially continuous outer circumferential surface, wherein said improved seamed sleeved blanket comprises:

• an expandable cylindrical sleeve, said cylindrical sleeve having an axial, a radial, and a circumferential direction, said cylindrical sleeve also having a continuous outer circumferential surface;
• a sheet of pre-made blanket material having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and two side edges, said pre-made blanket material comprising multiple attached layers and being wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of said cylindrical sleeve, with said pre-made blanket material being adhered to the outer circumferential surface of said cylindrical sleeve such that both the leading edge and the trailing edge of said pre-made blanket material extend in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of said cylindrical sleeve, and wherein said leading edge and said trailing edge of said pre-made blanket material define a blanket gap;
• wherein said blanket gap extends in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of said cylindrical sleeve;
• wherein said pre-made blanket material adhered to said cylindrical sleeve has an axial, a radial, and a circumferential direction, as well as an outer circumferential surface, said outer circumferential surface of said pre-made blanket material being interrupted by said blanket gap;
• wherein said blanket gap has a blanket gap width measured across said blanket gap in the circumferential direction of said pre-made blanket material adhered to said cylindrical sleeve;
• wherein one layer of said multiple attached layers of said pre-made blanket material adhered to said cylindrical sleeve is a print layer, said print layer being the radially outwardmost layer of the multiple attached layers of said pre-made blanket material adhered to said cylindrical sleeve, said print layer having a printing surface located on the radially outwardmost surface of said print layer;
• wherein at least one layer of said multiple attached layers of said pre-made blanket material adhered to said cylindrical sleeve is a volume compressible layer located radially inwardly of said print layer;
• wherein said blanket contains filler material within said blanket gap to form a seam;
• wherein said printing surface of said blanket does not include said filler material forming said seam;
• wherein said printing surface of said blanket is capable of receiving said inked image from said printing plate image-bearing surface and, in turn, is capable of transferring said inked image from said printing surface of said blanket to a surface to be printed;
• wherein said printing surface of said blanket has a leading edge, a trailing edge, and two side edges, and wherein said leading edge and said trailing edge of said printing surface of said blanket define a printing surface width measured across the printing surface in the circumferential direction of said pre-made blanket material adhered to said cylindrical sleeve;
• wherein said printing plate image-bearing surface width is less than or equal to said printing surface width;
• and
• wherein said pre-made blanket material is adhered to said cylindrical sleeve using adhesive.