Gapless tubular printing blanket

A cylindrical blanket sleeve for use on an offset printing press having a printing blanket cylinder through which gas can be forced under pressure to expand and thereby facilitate the placement of a blanket sleeve on said blanket cylinder;

• said blanket sleeve comprising:
• (a) a backing layer comprising an elastically expandable cylindrical sleeve;
• (b) an intermediate compressible layer upon said backing layer, said compressible layer having an innermost portion comprising a first winding of compressible thread, compressible microspheres and a non-compressible rubber adhesive encompassing said thread and microspheres on said backing layer to provide a continuous layer and an outermost portion comprising a subsequent winding of compressible thread and non-compressible elastomeric material upon the first winding;
• and
• (c) an outer print layer of continuous circumference, said print layer being of an image receptive material.

A cylindrical printing blanket for a blanket cylinder is an offset printing press, said cylindrical printing blanket comprising:

• (a) a cylindrical sleeve movable axially over the blanket cylinder;
• (b) a gapless and seamless cylindrical compressible layer over said sleeve, said compressible layer including a first circumferentially endless tubular body of elastomeric material containing compressible means and a compressible thread extending helically through said first circumferentially endless tubular body of elastomeric material and around said sleeve;
• (c) a gapless and seamless cylindrical inextensible layer over said compressible layer, said inextensible layer including a circumferentially inextensible material;
• and
• (d) a cylindrical printing layer over said inextensible layer, said printing layer having a gapless and seamless cylindrical printing surface.

A cylindrical printing blanket for a blanket cylinder in an offset printing press, said cylindrical printing blanket comprising:

• (a) a backing layer comprising an elastically expandable cylindrical sleeve;
• (b) a gapless and seamless cylindrical compressible layer over said sleeve, said compressible layer including a circumferentially endless tubular body of elastomeric material, a first compressible means distributed throughout said circumferentially endless tubular body of elastomeric material, and a second compressible means including a compressible thread extending helically through said circumferentially endless tubular body of elastomeric material and around said sleeve;
• and
• (c) a cylindrical outer printing layer having a gapless and seamless cylindrical printing surface.