Method for operating a device for printing hollow bodies

A method for operating a device for printing on hollow bodies, wherein said device comprises a segmented wheel (03), rotating about its axis and having a plurality of printing blankets (33) arranged in a row along its periphery, and a plurality of plate cylinders (04), associated with said segmented wheel (03) and each bearing a printing forme or a printing plate, wherein a particular printing ink is supplied, in each case by means of an inking unit (06), to each of these plate cylinders (04) for the purpose of inking up the printing forme or the printing plate thereof, wherein based upon a printing process to be implemented for printing on the hollow bodies (01), a selected set of plate cylinders (04) is thrown onto the segmented wheel (03) or thrown off of said segmented wheel (03), wherein in a first printing process, each of a first subset of plate cylinders (04), each bearing an inked-up printing forme or an inked-up printing plate and each being thrown onto the rotating segmented wheel (03), transfers printing ink onto a plurality of the printing blankets (33) arranged on said segmented wheel (03), wherein upon completion of the first printing process, at least some of the plate cylinders (04) that were thrown onto the segmented wheel (03) during the first printing process are thrown off of said segmented wheel (03), wherein each of the plate cylinders (04) that is or at least can be thrown onto the segmented wheel (03) is rotationally driven separately by a motor (11), wherein each of the inking units (06) has exactly one ink forme roller (07) that is or can be thrown onto the relevant plate cylinder (04) or is or can be thrown off of said plate cylinder (04), wherein upon completion of the first printing process, at least some of the plate cylinders (04) that were thrown onto the segmented wheel (03) during the first printing process are thrown off of the rotating segmented wheel (03) and a second subset of plate cylinders (04), each bearing an inked-up printing forme or an inked-up printing plate, is thrown onto said rotating segmented wheel (03), and each transfers printing ink onto a plurality of the printing blankets (33) arranged on said segmented wheel (03), wherein each of the printing blankets (33) in turn transfers the respective printing ink onto hollow bodies (01) to be printed, which are advanced to the rotating segmented wheel (03), characterized in that as rotation of the segmented wheel (03) continues without interruption, for the implementation of a second printing process the second subset of plate cylinders (04), each bearing an inked-up printing forme or an inked-up printing plate, is thrown onto said rotating segmented wheel (03) and each transfers printing ink onto a plurality of the printing blankets (33) arranged on said segmented wheel (03), wherein each of the printing blankets (33) in turn transfers the respective printing ink onto hollow bodies (01) to be printed, which are advanced to the rotating segmented wheel (03), wherein the respective printing forme or the respective printing plate on at least one plate cylinder (04) that is involved in the first printing process and is not involved in the ongoing second printing process is changed during said ongoing printing process, wherein each respective ink forme roller (07) is rotationally driven separately by a motor, wherein the respective motor (11) that separately drives the rotation of the respective plate cylinder (04) and the motor (12) that separately drives the rotation of the respective ink forme roller (07) are each controlled or regulated independently of one another by a control unit.