Reversible newspaper press

In a printing press wherein ink is applied to a printing plate on a plate cylinder which transfers an image to a web, the improvement comprising:

• an ink metering means;
• an ink transfer roller having an oleophillic ink receptive surface;
• a form roller in rotative contact with the printing plate and having an ink receptive surface adapted to be urged into pressure indented relation with said ink transfer roller to form an ink transfer nip;
• means supporting said ink metering means and said ink transfer roller in pressure relationship to form an ink metering nip between adjacent surfaces of the ink metering means and the ink transfer roller;
• means to supply ink to said ink metering nip to produce a film of ink on the surface of said ink transfer roller;
• a dampening fluid transfer roller adapted to apply dampening fluid to the surface of the form roller;
• means rotatably supporting said dampening fluid transfer roller in pressure indented relation with said form roller to form a dampening fluid transfer nip;
• dampening fluid metering means;
• means to supply dampening fluid to said dampening fluid transfer roller such that the dampening fluid metering meanns produces a film of dampening fluid on the surface of the dampening fluid transfer roller;
• and drive means associated with said plate cylinder, said form roller, said dampening fluid transfer roller, and said ink transfer roller to move a point on the surface of the form roller sequentially from indented relation with said printing plate where ink and dampening fluid contact the printing plate, to the dampening fluid transfer nip where dampening fluid is applied to said form roller, to the ink transfer nip where ink is applied to said form roller and finally into indented relation with said printing plate, said drive means being adapted to rotate said ink transfer roller such that is surface speed is less than the surface speed of said form roller.

A method of converting a pair of printing couples to print on two sides of a web into a pair of printing couples to print twice on one side of the web, wherein each printing couple comprises a plate cylinder and a form roller driven at substantially equal surface speeds;

• an ink metering roller and an ink transfer roller urged together to form a flooded ink metering nip having an excess of ink on one side of the ink metering nip, the ink transfer roller being urged into pressure indented relation with the form roller and driven at a surface speed less than the surface speed of the form roller;
• and a dampening fluid metering roller and a dampening fluid transfer roller urged together to form a flooded dampening fluid metering nip having an excess of dampening fluid on one side of the dampening fluid metering nip, the dampening fluid transfer roller being urged into pressure indented relation with the form roller and driven at a surface speed less than the surface speed of the form roller, the improved method comprising the steps of:
• reversing the direction of rotation of the plate cylinder and the form roller in one of the printing couples;
• reversing the direction of rotation of the ink metering roller and the ink transfer roller to move the excess of ink to the opposite side of the ink metering nip and to move the surfaces of the ink transfer roller and the form roller in the same direction at different surface speeds;
• and reversing the direction of rotation of the dampening fluid metering roller and the dampening fluid transfer roller to move the excess dampening fluid to the opposite side of the dampening fluid metering nip and to move the surfaces of the dampening fluid transfer roller and the form roller in the same direction at different surface speeds, and such that dampening fluid is applied at the dampening fluid transfer nip to the surface of the form roller which is moving toward the ink transfer nip.