Means for imprinting multiple permutations and combinations of cards on cups

Means for printing a plurality of container sidewall blanks in sequence and transverse disposition on a strip of stock material and providing said blanks in said sequence with combinations of generically related discrete indicia such that no two successive blanks bear the same combination, comprising:

• a plurality of rotary printing cylinder means having at least one axially extending printing zone in alignment for printing in sequence on a strip of stock material;
• said discrete indicia occupying at least two discrete longitudinally spaced positions on said sidewall blanks;
• said plurality of printing cylinders corresponding in number to said discrete indicia, at least one of said printing cylinders including art copy for said sidewall in addition to a respectively associated one of said discrete indicia;
• a plurality of peripherally disposed printing plates extending longitudinally of said printing cylinders and transversely of said printing zones and said strip stock, each said printing plate corresponding to a single sidewall blank to be printed;
• each said printing plate including at least one font position corresponding to a discrete one of the spaced positions of said discrete indicia and all of the printing plates on a given one of said printing cylinders defining the same discrete spaced position for the discrete indicia borne thereby;
• said printing cylinders each containing a different number of printing plates defining the circumference of its corresponding printing area;
• said printing plates being of identical dimension;
• and
• said printing cylinder means being rotated at the same peripheral velocity to cause successive impressions of said printing plates on said stock from a given one of said printing cylinder means to be in mutual registry with impressions made by corresponding plates on the other of said printing cylinder means.