Printer or copier for printing an endless support material comprising transversal folds, and method for controlling such a printer or copier

A method for aligning a transverse fold and adjacent adjustment page marks associated with a page on a web-shaped carrier material at a desired position before printing upstream of a transfer printing point where the printing occurs on said page following said transverse fold, said carrier material having a plurality of said transverse folds and associated page marks, and the carrier material being accelerated for said printing from a stop state when said transverse fold is at said desired position, comprising the steps of:

• aligning one of the transverse folds with respect to a fold alignment member by moving said carrier material;
• providing a first sensor arrangement and determining a position of the adjacent page marks relative to said transverse fold by use of said first sensor arrangement;
• providing a second sensor arrangement downstream of the first sensor arrangement and upstream of said transfer printing point;
• transporting the carrier material until a next arriving page mark is detected by said second sensor arrangement for determining a zero position of said carrier material so that positions of all further page marks start from this determined zero position and positions of all other transverse folds can be determined based on the transverse fold at the fold alignment member and stored carrier material parameters;
• determining a distance to be traveled until the transverse fold is arranged at said desired position starting from the determined page mark located at said zero position, said distance being dependent on page length and on an interval between two transverse folds;
• determining a number of page marks contained in said interval between the two transverse folds;
• determining a transport time for a distance from a page mark adjacent to a next-closest transverse fold to said transverse fold to be positioned at said desired position;
• transporting the carrier material by said number of page marks contained in said interval between the two transverse folds;
• transporting the carrier material for said determined transport time so as to position said transverse fold at said desired position;
• and
• starting transfer printing on said carrier material by starting movement of the carrier material after said stop state when said transverse fold is positioned at said desired position.