Printing unit

A printing unit for a web fed rotary printing machine, comprising:

• a machine frame support;
• two sets of printing unit cylinders, comprising a plurality of outer printing unit cylinders and a plurality of inner printing unit cylinders, the plurality of outer printing unit cylinders including plate cylinders;
• a plurality of carriages, wherein each carriage corresponds to one printing unit cylinder for rotatably mounting its corresponding printing unit cylinder on the machine frame support;
• a drive motor for each cylinder;
• two sets of guide elements arranged on the machine frame for determining a travel setting of the plurality of carriages along the machine frame support, one of the two sets guide elements including guide elements for only the outer cylinders the other of the two sets of guide elements including guide elements for only the inner cylinder, the guide elements for the outer cylinders being arranged on the machine frame support in a different direction than the guide elements for the inner cylinders, so that movement of the outer printing unit cylinders is along a different path than movement of the inner printing unit cylinders, the movement paths extending along planes that intersect;
• and
• at least one additional printing device corresponding to each of the plate cylinders, the at least one additional printing device being arranged to be movable in a direction of movement of its corresponding plate cylinder, the set of guide elements corresponding to the outer printing unit cylinders extends as far as the at least one additional printing device, the additional printing device being moveable on the corresponding guide element.

A printing unit for a web fed rotary printing machine, comprising:

• a machine frame support;
• two sets of printing unit cylinders, comprising a plurality of outer printing unit cylinders and a plurality of inner printing unit cylinders;
• a plurality of carriages, wherein each carriage corresponds to one printing unit cylinder for rotatably mounting its corresponding printing unit cylinder on the machine frame support;
• a drive motor for each cylinder;
• and
• two sets of guide elements arranged on the machine frame for determining a travel setting of the plurality of carriages along the machine frame support, the guide elements for the outer cylinders being arranged on the machine frame support in an orientation different than the guide elements for the inner cylinders, so that movement of the outer printing unit cylinders is along a different path than movement of the inner printing unit cylinders, the cylinders comprising two outer printing unit cylinders and two inner printing unit cylinders, the guide elements for the inner printing unit cylinders being spaced apart from and run parallel to each other, the guide elements corresponding to the outer printing unit cylinders being spaced apart from and running parallel to each other and are inclined with respect to the guide elements for the inner printing unit cylinders.