Device for pulling off and holding a printing plate removed from a plate cylinder of a rotary printing press

In combination, a rotary printing press having a plate cylinder, and a device for pulling off and holding a printing plate removed from the plate cylinder of the rotary printing press, the rotary printing press comprising a printing unit tower containing the respective plate cylinder, the pull-off and holding device being disposed on said printing unit tower and including a take-up element for a leading and trailing edge, respectively, of the printing plate, a locking element cooperatively engageable with said take-up element, adjusting members engageable with said take-up element and said locking elements for shifting said take-up element and said locking element between a "take-up position" and a "holding position", said adjusting members including a first actuating lever carrying said locking element at a free end thereof, and a swivelable second actuating lever carrying said take-up element.