Ink fountain for printing machine

Ink fountain for printing machines having a fountain chamber for receiving a supply of ink therein comprising an elongated ink knife forming the base of the fountain chamber, a rotary fountain roller forming a side of the fountain chamber, and means for zonewise adjusting the thickness of a film of ink on said fountain roller, said ink knife having a fixed end and a free cantilevered therefrom, said free end being yieldable relative to said fixed end, said ink knife having a wiper edge adjacent said fountain roller for wiping ink therefrom, and being bent along the length thereof in direction toward said fountain roller at a location in vicinity of said wiper edge, the bent portion of said ink knife adjacent said wiper edge having an end face opposite to said fountain roller adjusting means underlying said yieldable free end of said ink knife and coacting therewith for adjusting the spacing of said end face relative to said fountain roller, said bent ink knife also having a wiper surface adjacent said wiper edge and partly defining the interior of said fountain chamber, said wiper surface being disposed at an angle larger than an acute angle to said fountain roller and being streamlined for facilitating a return flow to said interior of said fountain chamber of the ink wiped from said fountain roller.