Method for conveying printing forms during the changeover of printing forms and printing machine having a printing tower and a vertically movable storage device

A printing machine comprising:

• a printing tower;
• a plurality of printing couples arranged vertically one above the other in the printing tower, first ones of the plurality of printing couples defining a first machine plane, second ones of the plurality of printing couples being spaced vertically in the printing tower above the first ones of the plurality of printing couples and defining a vertically spaced advanced position;
• a printing forme changing system including at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device and adapted for the infeed of printing formes;
• an additional printing forme storage device for the first ones of the plurality of printing couples and adapted for the infeed of printing formes;
• a conveying system to move the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device along a conveying path from a printing forme loading position in the area of the first machine plane to the vertically spaced advanced position assigned to the second ones of the plurality of printing couples;
• wherein the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device and the additional printing forme storage device are arranged and configured such that the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage system, in its printing forme loading position, and the additional printing forme storage device, in its printing forme loading position are offset from one another, and can each be reached, for one of loading with printing formes and receipt of a carrier element which is preloaded with printing formes, from the first machine plane, the conveying system, the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device and the additional printing forme storage device being arranged, in their printing forme loading positions, on a side of the printing tower, as viewed in a horizontal direction, of an operating space accessible to a printing machine operator;
• and
• wherein, when the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device is in its vertically spaced advanced position at an end of its conveying path, the printing formes placed in the at least one vertically movable printing forme storage device are in proper lateral register and position for their printing locations on a forme cylinder in one of the second ones of the plurality of printing couples, with respect to an axial direction of the forme cylinder to be loaded with the conveyed printing formes.