Machines or presses always include a fixed or static printing form, usually a printing plate, carrying a graphical and/or alphanumerical design forming the printing image,

after applying ink on the surface of said printing form, said inked image is applied by contact pressure onto the surface of a substrate which will form the printed matter,

machines or presses as a whole as well as all parts, details, objects and controls specifically adapted for use in such machines, e.g. drying, dampening, heating, cooling, cleaning, air blowing and suction devices,

feeding and/or handling of substrates to be printed upon is covered from the in-feed device through the whole machine down to the delivery device,

auxiliary folding, cutting, collecting and depositing specifically adapted for printing machines or presses in covered by B41F 13/54 - B41F 13/70,

machines or apparatus for printing operations in combination with other operations, e.g. embossing, are covered by B41F 19/00,

machines or apparatus for printing operations in combination with perforating operations are covered by B41G 7/00.

Printing technology having the same working principle as used since the very first printing machines made in Europe in the 15th century, e.g. from Guttenberg.

Types are almost rigid three-dimensional printing elements having on their top surface an alphanumerical or similar symbol, which latter will be inked for directly printing onto a substrate.

Printing technology mostly used in the 19th century.

Letterpress or relief printing machines use the following printing forms or printing plates:

all parts of the surface of the printing plate accepting ink to form the printing image are raised above the level of the non-printing parts of the printing image not accepting ink.

Flexographic printing presses use a printing plate, wherein the raised parts forming the printing image are formed from flexible material, e.g. rubber.

Lithographic printing machines, which use the following printing forms or printing plates:

whole surface of the printing surface or plate is essentially even,

all parts of the surface of the printing plate forming the printing image have hydrophobic characteristics accepting ink to form the printing image,

whereas all the rest parts of the surface of said printing plate forming the non-printing part of the printing image have hydrophilic characteristics for repelling ink.

Intaglio or heliographic printing machines, which use the following printing forms or printing plates:

all parts of the surface of the printing plate accepting ink to form the printing image are below the level, e.g. engraved, of the non-printing parts of the printing surface not accepting ink.

Rotary presses or machines, which have at least two printing units of different type or at least two printing plates of different type in one printing unit.

Driving devices adapted and/or used in rotary presses or machines, and their electric or hydraulic or mechanical features in form of constitutive elements, e.g. motors, gearings, couplings, clutches, rotary energy transmitters;

auxiliary devices or processes associated with the drives, e.g. vibration-dampers, noise reduction, lubrication;

driving devices associated with particular installations or situations;

brakes;

conveying or guiding webs through presses or machines including:

Cylinders including forme cylinders, impression cylinders, transfer and offset cylinders and including their accessories;

cylinder registering devices;

cylinder tripping devices;

cylinder-impression adjustments;

cylinder lifting or adjusting devices;

cylinder bearings;

supports for bearings or supports for cylinders;

cylinder cooling and/or heating;

machines frames, guards and/or covers;

registering and control of registering with means for:

Auxiliary devices for:

screen printing apparatus, which always use a perforated printing screen, the perforated parts forming the printing image.

Apparatus and machines adapted to print on sheets or webs of any material, e.g. including textiles, and

adapted to print on any substrate having any shape, e.g. filamentary, cylindrical, polyhedral, conical, spherical and all kind of irregularly shaped three-dimensional surfaces.

Machines or presses which always use a sheet or web-like coloured or preprinted transfer element,

a printing element, usually a printing plate, applying by contact pressure said transfer element onto a substrate to be printed upon.

Pad printing apparatus,

textile printing apparatus,

printing apparatus using at least one printing belt,

printing apparatus for printing or numbering on non sheet- or web-like substrates having the following three-dimensional shapes:

or printing on specific articles, e.g.

books, manifolding sets e.g. booklets, calendars, tablets, pills, knitted fabric and hollow articles.

Embossing operations are herein considered to deform the substrate without colouring the substrate.

Devices or apparatus for conveying sheets

and devices or apparatus for guiding sheets.

Printing machine elements having specific materials or surfaces,

guiding means using air pressure.

Cleaning devices for sheets or webs or other substrates to be printed upon,

Dampening or heat drying or cooling devices acting before and/or after printing,

Powder applying means, and

Print finishing devices including glossing or varnishing devices.

Means for acting mechanically and/or pneumatically onto the sheets or webs.

Registering printing elements or printing forms to supports,

feeding printing elements or printing formes to forme cylinders or type-beds,

removing printing elements or printing formes from forme cylinders or type-beds,

tensioning devices for flexible printing plates,

flexing devices for flexible printing plates

and devices for filling cylinder gaps and/or removing the filler.

Devices for attaching sheet-like flexible coverings, usually blankets, and/or cylindrical coverings, usually blankets, and devices for attaching underlays.

Inking arrangements or devices including accessories specifically adapted for an inking arrangement like

driving means,

remote control of duct keys,

heating or cooling means,

recovering printing ink.

Central control units,

programming systems to sequence of machine operations,

means for starting up the machine,

safety devices preventing damage of machine parts including web break detection,

safety devices preventing injury to the operators,

devices for scanning printing formes and/or printed matter for quality control,

measuring the thickness of liquid films,

measuring or controlling the consumption of ink,

measuring contact pressure,

sensors,

counters

and marks, e.g. registering marks, on printed material.

Devices for cleaning parts removed from a printing machine,

cleaning means being part of a printing press including:

means for cleaning adapted to a specific purpose, e.g. cleaning of inking rollers or offset cylinders,

or means for cleaning being characterised by the cleaning method or device, e.g. wiping devices, spraying devices, suction devices,

means for recovering used solvents or residues,

and selection of materials or products for cleaning.