In a rotary press having a plurality of multi color printing units with a combination of at least two sets of blanket-to-blanket printing sections,
- each of the blanket-to-blanket printing sections being constructed to comprise printing couples with a plate cylinder and a blanket cylinder being arranged to be able to contact each other and with the blanket cylinder of the printing couple and a blanket cylinder of another printing couple being provided to be able to contact each other, and an inking device provided for each of the printing couples, for supplying ink to a printing image on the plate cylinder, and to print the printing image on the plate cylinder on a paper web passing between the two blanket cylinders via the blanket cylinder, and
- the rotary press carrying out printing with use of a paper web conforming to each printing image area of the multicolor printing units,
- a synchronous control apparatus of a rotary press for selecting a control target based on printing image information, comprising:
- a printing image allocation setting section for allocating a printing image which each of the printing couples is to print to the printing couple;
- drive means provided for each of the printing couples to individually drive each of the printing couples;
- inking transmission means connectable to and releasable from the drive means of the printing couples, for transmitting power of the drive means of the printing couples to the inking devices;
- first moving means provided for each of the printing couples to move at least the blanket cylinder to a printing position at which the blanket cylinder and the plate cylinder of each of the printing couples are in contact with each other and the blanket cylinders of the two printing couples forming the blanket-to-blanket printing section are in contact with each other, and to a waiting position at which they are not in contact with each other;
- second moving means provided for each of the inking devices to move at least one predetermined roller of the inking device provided for the printing couple to a position at which ink is supplied to the printing image on the plate cylinder of the printing couple and to a position at which ink is not supplied;
- a slave control section provided for each of the drive means, for controlling rotation of the drive means;
- an operation control section provided for each of the slave control sections, for controlling an operation of transmission means related to the printing couple and the inking device driven by the drive means controlled by the slave control section and operations of the first moving means and the second moving means in accordance with an output signal of the slave control section;
- and
- a master control section connected to said printing image allocation setting section and each of said slave control sections for transmitting and receiving information thereto and therefrom via a network,
- wherein said master control section specifies the slave control sections which it controls, based on information of the printing image allocation setting section, and transmits a control reference signal to the specified slave control sections, and the slave control sections instruct the operation control sections to output a signal according to the specification of the master signal.