US3537396A - Printing forms with type slug retaining means - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Karlheinz Mock 3,392,668 7/1968 Young et a1. 101/374 I N gg gg Anderson Glen Primary Examiner-William B Penn [21] A o. fi March 24,1967 Attorney-J. Harold Kilcoyne [45] Patented Nov. 3,1970 [731 Assignees 32:32:: fiz f issi g g gzgmz ABSTRACT: The invention relates to a quoinless printing Maryhnd form for use in specialized ob printing, such as that of imprinting checks and like documents. Said printing form comprises a base plate having a plurality of functionally independent, generally rectangular window openings therein which [54] PRINTING FORMS WITH TYPE SLUG RETAINING are arranged in accordance with the requirements of a stan- MEANS dard ob layout. One edge of each said window opening pro- 14 16 z:iiiisssszrgfsiis 2x22332222: pening IS [52] US. Cl 101/393, mounted a pressure member extending along its opposite edge l 1/3 l and which carries a plurality of individual pressure units which [51] 1nt.Cl B4lb l/18, are operative through the side face of said pressure member B 1 1 29/00 that is disposed towards said one edge, said pressure units thus [50] Field of Search 101/391, functioning to press the printing element or elements in a win- 393, 372, 377, 403, 402, 404, 374, 380, 381, 383, dow opening served thereby against said locating surface. 390. 391,392, 393,394: 279/1()2.96,80.79; Means are also provided to prevent workup of the furniture 2 /254 conventionally employed to space the printing element or elements one from another within a window opening or from the [56] References Cited :Jcating edge thereof. One or more of the furniture pieces may e specially constructed to provide either a lmeor no-line-of- UNlTED STATES PATENTS printing feature. The printing form also makes provision for 670,718 3/1901 Mearkle 101/374 the use of unmounted cuts, as distinguished from the convenl,062,487 5/1913 MacMillan. 101/402 tional mounted cuts. Means in the form of an ejector grid for 1,763,090 6/1930 Buzza 101/390 effecting either complete or partial ejection of the printing 2,373,967 4/1945 Kohnle... 101/393 elements and associated furniture from their respective win- 2,764,088 9/1956 Harper 101/403 dow openings, as permits rapid changeover from job to job, is 2,774,303 12/1956 Kelley et a1. 101/392 also provided, such generally comprising a plate member hav- 2,8l6,505 12/1957 Michelson 101/391 ing projections adapted to mate with said window openings 2,818,019 12/1957 Goodloe 10l/391 and which when registered therewith and moved into the win- 3,064,566 11/1962 McVicker 101/377 dow openings are adapted to eject the printing elements and 3,141,406 7/1964 Weinland l01/390X associated furniture therefrom.

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1 92 '1 -1 .':::r::r.:."::;;;: In U36) 1 1 I 9 "n "I .l l l um' Patented Nov. 3, 1970 Shoot m m f Patented Nov. 3,

Sham. 2 023 m mwM Shoot PRINTING FORMS WITH TYPE SLUG RETAINING MEANS This invention relates to improvements in printing forms' and while not limited thereto will be described in its application to the specialized field of check printing.

A major object of the invention is that of making available a quoinless printing form for use in place of the conventional chase or frame previously employed in the printing of bank checks, which provides for the ready mounting of the various individual printing elements such as linotype slugs, mounted and/or unmounted cuts, so-called numbering machines, rules, furniture, etc., as required for a particular bank check format, while insuring dimensional accuracy in spite of variations in size of the individual elements, and which further makes possible rapid change-over from one check format to another.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a printing form as aforesaid which eliminates the quoin conventionally used for lockup of the chase, Le. securement of the individual printing elements in proper position within the chase or frame, and thereby eliminates problems encountered in the use of the quoin such as bowing-out of the chase frame, buckling up of the form and/or workup of the furniture, as usually requires tedious and time-consuming planing and rechecking steps to be taken in correcting for same.

More particular objects of this invention are the provision of a quoinless printing form whose construction and arrangement is such that it permits close and sometimes overlapping arrangement of lines and/or groups of lines of the printed matter being imprinted; the provision of means'for use with such a form for effecting independent lockup of the printing elements, thus eliminating accumulation of errors due, for example, to imperfections in line or slug casting and/or wood-cut sawing; the provision of cooperative printing element and furniture construction which renders the furniture climb-proof; the provision of furniture for use with such a form whose construction is such as makes possible vertical flexibility in line location; the provision of a printing form incorporating means for mounting inexpensive unmounted cuts for check formats calling for same but for which the conventional mounted cuts are not readily available; and the provision of means for use with such a form for effecting simple and rapid changeover, either partial or complete, from one bank check format to another.

The above and other objects and features of advantage of a quoinless printing form according to the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof, taken with the accompanying illustrative drawings, wherein:

FIG. I is a partially broken-away plan view of a typical quoinless printing form as herein proposed;

FIG. 2A is a vertical section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a corresponding section taken through an ejector grid provided according to the invention for effecting simple, rapid changeover of printing elements;

FIG. 3 is a side-face view of one of the so-called pressure bars, and FIG. 4 is a broken-away sectional view through one of the plurality of individually acting, yieldable pressure units mounted in said pressure bar so as to be effective on printing elements contained within a window opening;

FIG. 5 is a broken-away view of a portion of a printing form which illustrates in plan one of the climb-proof means provided according to the invention for preventing so-called workup of the furniture usually employed in job layouts to space and/or position the printing elements;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a separated view of a printing element (slug) and a piece or strip of furniture provided with cooperative means constituting said one climb-proof means;

FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5, illustrative of another form of furniture climb-proof means;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are sections taken on lines 9-9 and 10-10, respectively, of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are partial plan views, again corresponding generally to FIG. 5, but which illustrate variant construction of furniture which provides a so-called line or no-line feature with inversion of the furniture;

FIG. 13 is a partial plan view, also corresponding generally to FIG. 5, illustrating the provision made for using an unmounted cut in place of a mounted cut as a printing element;

FIG. 14 is a section taken on line 14-14 of FIG. 13, which illustrates a simple yet practical means of securing such an unmounted cut in place on the base plate of the printing form; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an unmounted cut of the configuration shown in FIG. 14.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a quoinless printing form according to the present invention comprises a below-typehigh molded and/or machined base plate 10, preferably fashioned from lightweight material such as aluminum or magnesium, inwhich is machined or otherwise formed a pattern of individual or effectively individual through openings (hereinafter referred to as window openings) distributed throughout the area thereof, generally as the printing elementsfor printing checks according to a particular format are required to be so distributed. Thus, in FIG. 1 which is to be taken as illustrative, the base plate is provided with the vertically spaced and hence wholly individual window openings 12 and 14 and with the physically interconnected but effectively individual window openings 16a, 16b, 16c, of which the opposite end portions of the elongated window opening 16a themselves provide effectively individual window openings.

It is an important feature of the invention that one wall or edge each of said window openings, all of which have generally rectangular configuration is a straight edge which serves as alocating surface for the one or more of the printing elements which are received therein, and moreover that the effective opposite'wall or edge of each said window opening incorporates yieldable means for urging said one or more of the printing elements towards said first-named (straight) edge. Thus, the window openings l2and 14 have edges which provide the locating surfaces 12a and 14a for the printing elements 20 and 22 (and furniture 50 usually associated with said printing elements 20) which are shown to be inserted in said window openings, and the window openings 16a, 16b, 16c provide locating surfaces 16):, 16x',16y and l6z (of which the locating surfaces designated 16x and 16): are shown to be colinear) for the printing elements designated 24, 26, 28 and 30, shown to be inserted in said openings.

At this point in the description, it is explained that the illustrated printing elements 20, 22, 26 and 28 take theform of conventional linotype slugs provided with different type faces as required in check imprinting; that because the window opening 14 for the printing element 22 is so sized as to be capable of receiving only one such printing element (designated 22) that the line of printed matter which will be printed thereby is invariably located in a designated field of and in relatively fixed relationship as respects the format of all checks printed by the quoinless printing form of the invention; that the printing element designated 24 is in the nature of a cut suitable for imprinting a bank name and/or insignia; and that the printing element designated 30 is representative of a so-called numbering machine conventionally incorporated into a chase used for check imprinting to number the imprinted checks.

The aforesaid pressure member which is provided in each window opening is, with the exception of the pressure member serving the window 160, typified by that shown in FIG. 3. That is to say, each such pressure member generally comprises an elongated bar of rectangular section having length at least as great as that of the locating edge or surface and which mounts a plurality of small, individually acting pressure units operative through the side face thereof which is disposed towards said locating surface and which is further provided with means whereby it may be'removably (for purpose of initial assembly and repair only) secured in place in its window opening.

Thus, the pressure members designated 34, 36 which serve the windows 12,14, respectively, are straightway extending bars provided at both ends thereof with projecting ears 38a, 38b adapted, when seated in upwardly facing, machined-out recesses provided therefor in the base plate adjacent each window opening, to receive screws or other means for securing each said bar in proper position and with its upper surface disposed below-type-high in a window opening. Moreover, each of said pressure bars 34, 36 is shown to mount a plurality of individual pressure units designated 40 (specifically ball catches, the detailed construction of which is shown in FIG. 4) in position such that they project from a long side face thereof. Preferably, the plurality of pressure units are arranged in upper and lower rows extending along the length of the bar, with the pressure units of one row being staggered with relation to the other.

The pressure member designated 42, while also formed as a straightway extending bar, has a somewhat different configuration than the pressure bars 34, 36 since it serves the interconnected window openings l6a (both rightand left-end portions thereof) and 16b. Accordingly, said pressure bar 42 is especially configured so that its side face 42b which is disposed towards the locating surface 16x of the left-end portion of the window opening 16a is offset to its side face portion 42a which is disposed towards the locating surface 16x of the right-end portion of said window opening, and furthermore, the left-end portion of said pressure bar 42 mounts oppositely acting pressure units which are operative through both its op-' posite side faces. Thus, the pressure units operative through its upper face 420 are positioned so as to press the printing elements 28 against the locating surface 16y.

As distinguished from the bar- form pressure members 34, 36 and 40, the functionally equivalent pressure member 44 which serves the window 16c is shown to have blocklike configuration, and its pressure units 40 are disposed on the vertical side face thereof which is disposed towards the also vertical locating surface 162 of the window opening 160. If necessary to a particular check format, said block-form pressure member may also be provided with a lower-edge extension 44a which combines with a machined projection 44b on the base plate in providing the printing-element locating surface 16y for the window 16b.

It will be appreciated that the above-described arrangement of pressure members and their individually acting pressure units 40 provide a simple, practical means for exerting yieldable side-face pressure on the printing element or elements (and furniture if any) disposed in each of the window openings individually served by a pressure bar, which is sufficient to press said printing element or elements against the locating surface individual to said opening and thereby accurately position said printing element or elements as required for a particular check format.

It will be seen further that the described arrangement of individual and/or effectively individual window openings and their respective individual pressure members is of advantage in that there can occur no accumulation of error as is possible when using the conventional method of quoin lockup wherein thickness variations of individual printing elements can accumulate to the extent of requiring tedious and time-consuming corrective measures to be taken which, incidentally, are usually required to be repeated with every changeover. In short, since the described arrangement eliminates any requirement for the quoin heretofore employed to effect lockup of the various printing elements for any order of checks being printed, it overcomes all of the many objections and disadvantages attending the use of said quoin.

FIG. 2A illustrates the conventional manner of spacing a plurality of individual linotype slugs (printing elements) the required distance from one another within the window opening 12 through the use of conventional furniture designated 50 having the usual smooth side faces which engage correspondingly smooth side faces of said linotype slugs. Since the upper surfaces of the furniture are below-type-high and said furniture is conventionally held in position only by friction, there is the possibility of workup of the furniture occurring during the course of the successive imprinting operations, which is highly objectionable since it can result in inaccuracy of the lines being printed. g

The invention provides positive means for preventing this objectionable workup or climbing of the furniture as will now be described. Referring to FIGS. 57, inclusive, illustrating one such means, all or selected ones of the linotype 22, etc. contained in a window opening are provided, on the one face thereof which is usually engaged by the next adjacent piece of furniture, with a longitudinally-extending, upper-edge rib 52 which provides a downwardly facing shoulder 52a, and preferably also with a plurality of vertical strengthening ribs 54 which together with the upper-edge rib define closed top, shallow recesses on said one face. The next adjacent piece or strip of furniture 56 is counterribbed; that is to say, it is provided on its face which is to be disposed towards the so ribbed side-face of the slug with a plurality of ribs 58 (two being shown in FIG. 7) which when the furniture is moved into side face engagement with said slug, are received in the aforesaid side-face recesses thereof. When so received, the top edges of the counterribs 58 are disposed immediately beneath the downwardly facing shoulder 520 provided by the top-edge rib 42 of the slug, which thereupon acts as a limit stop for the furniture. Since the slug is held in place by its engagement with the supported sheet being imprinted, it follows that the described arrangement provides an effective means for preventing workup or climbing" of the furniture with respect to the linotype slugs which they space.

Referring next to FIGS. 8-10 illustrating another form of furniture climb-proof means according to the invention, such provides for the pieces of furniture being detachably secured to the base plate 10 and thereby positively held against climbing or workup movement. More particularly, each of the pieces of furniture designated 60 is formed along its relatively bottom edge with laterally projecting, noselike formations 62a, 62b, of which the nose 62a is adapted to engage a downwardly facing shoulder 64 extending along one side edge of the window opening provided for said furniture and its associated printing element or elements.

Secured to the opposite side edge of the window opening is a comb spring 66 providing a plurality of individual leaf springs 660 (see FIG. 10), one for each of the furniture pieces which might be required to be inserted in said window opening. As seen in FIG. 9, the free end of each of the leaf springs 66a of the comb is adapted in the unstressed state to engage on the upper surface of the aforesaid furniture nose 62b, thus normally acting in concert with the aforesaid shoulder 64 in preventing unintentional or accidental workup or climbing of the furniture. I-Iowever, flexure of the individual spring leaves enables lateral shift of each piece of furniture by the amount necessary for the nose 62a thereof to clear the aforesaid shoulder 64. Thus, the described arrangement is one insuring against any workup or climbing of the furniture with respect to a printing element or elements spaced thereby while at the same time permitting both ready insertion and removal of one or all the furniture pieces from a window opening, the latter simply by shifting each piece to be removed against its spring and then imparting upward tipping movement thereto, as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 9.

According to a further feature of the invention, the base plate 10 and a filler or furniture piece may be so cooperatively related as to provide a so-called line or no-line feature with inversion of said furniture. More particularly, and now referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the side edges of a window opening designated 70 provided for the reception of one or two (by way of example) single-line-of-type linotype slugs, are formed with oppositely facing through grooves designated 72a, 72b and the furniture 74 is provided with interfitting rib-form tongues 76a, 76b which are offset to one side of the transverse center plane of the furniture proper 74 an amount corresponding to the thickness of one linotype slug. Such arrangement provides that when the furniture is disposed as in FIG. 11, it serves to provide space for only one slug 78a,

whereas when inverted in its plane to the position shown in FIG. 12 it provides space for an additional slug designated 78b.

It is noted that said furniture 74 is shown to be provided on both its side faces with counterribs corresponding to those a designated 58 in FIG. 7, and is accordingly held against workup or climbing movement. Such of course assumes that the printing element (slug) disposed immediately adjacent same as provided with cooperative top-edge and side-face ribs corresponding to those designated 52, 54in FIG. 7.

In connection with the cut designated 24 referred to in the foregoing, such usually takes the form of a printing or type element mounted on a block of wood or lead sawed or cast to proper size, which is supplied by the bank or other purchaser of the checks being imprinted. In the event that the bank or other purchaser does not supply such a cut, however, it becomes necessary for the printer to prepare his or'its own cuts and it is to his advantage to make up same as simply and economically as possible. According to a further feature of the invention, provision is made for the use of simple and economical cuts, i.e. cuts consisting of printing elements only being devoid of wood or lead blocks mounting the same as is conventional.

More particularly and here referring to FIGS. 13-15, FIG. 15 typifies one configuration of unmounted cut 80 as is here proposed, such being in the form of a right-angular cast strip having a long horizontal leg and a relatively short vertical leg, the upper surfaces of either or both of which may be provided with the type face. It is to be understood that the aforesaid right-angular configuration is not critical or required but it is sometimes highly desirable when window openings are to be blocked off. Such an unmounted cut is adapted to be secured flush against the relatively top face of the base plate 10, with its type disposed "type high" with the type of the printing elements inserted in such window openings of the base plate I0 as are required for a particular check format. Illustratively, in the partial layout shown in FIG. 3, the window openings provided by the rightand left-end portions of the elongated window opening do not mount printing elements but, instead, are filled with wood blocks or other filler means which provide a backing for the unmounted cut 80.

To secure the unmounted cut 80 flush against the top face of the base plate as aforesaid, the latter fixedly mounts a plurality of upwardly projecting, headed reference pins designated 82a, 82b and 820 characterized by tapered underhead surfaces against which the chamfered lower edge 80a of the unmounted cut is adapted to engage, thus to locate the cut and hold it fixed along its lower edge. Said base plate and for the particular layout illustrated the elongated pressure member 42 together mount spaced spring clips'84a, 84b which bear with spring pressure against the upper chamfered edge 80b of said unmounted cut. As will be appreciated from a consideration of FIG. 14, such arrangement provides for the unmounted cut to be simply clipped in place when needed to the relatively upper face of the base plate 10, and when so mounted it serves just as does the mounted cut designated 24. shown in FIG. 1.

According to yet another feature of the invention, means are provided for effecting rapid changeover from one check format to another. Such means is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 28 to comprise a so-called ejector grid generally designated 90 consisting of a plate-form member 92 preferably having projections on both its faces which are ar-. ranged or distributed throughout the area thereof just as are the window openings 12, 14, 16a, 16b and 16c distributed throughout the area of the printing-form base plate and which further generally complement said window opening as to size and configuration. FIG. 23 further shows that the projections designated 92a, 94a, 96b extending from one face of the grid plate 90 have height approximately equal to one-half the thickness of the base plate 10, whereas the corresponding projections 92b, 94b, 96b, extending from the opposite face of said grid plate have height substantially equal to the full thickness of said base plate. Such arrangement provides that when changeover of a printing form mounting printing elements and furniture from one check printing job to another having a different check format is in order, the form is simply registered with and lowered against the suitably supported ejector grid plate 90. If partial ejection only is desired, the form is turned so that its shorter projections 92a, 94a, 96a are disposed upwardly, whereupon said shorter projections effect raising but not complete ejection of all printing elements and associated furniture, as provides ready access to those elements desired to be removed for the next check format. It is here to be noted that the relatively upper row of the pressure units 40 carried by each of the pressure elements 34, 36 and 42 are still fully operative on the printing elements when they are so partially raised but not completely ejected, and accordingly said pressure units of the upper row serve to hold the printing elements in an accessible position for interchange as may be required and then permit same or substituted elements to be readily pushed back in place within the window opening.

On the other hand, if all printing elements are to be fully ejected, the ejector grid is turned over so that its longer projections 92b, 94b, 96b are upwardly directed, and the printing form, upon being properly registered with said, grid, is pressed against same. Such results in all window openings acted upon by said longer grid-plate projections being fully emptied of printing elements and/or furniture, which latter are usually collected for resortingof usable elements or for resmelting.

Inasmuch as interchange of the numbering machine 30 is not usually required, the ejector grid lacks any provision, projection or otherwise, for ejecting same together with the printing elements. 1

While it has been stated above that to effect partial or complete ejection of the printing elements the printing form is moved downwardly against the ejector grid, as would force ,said elements and associated furniture relatively upwardly from the base plate 10, the converse is also possible. That is to say, depending on job requirements, the ejector grid may be moved downwardly against the base plate, thus to force the printing elements and associated furniture downwardlyfrom their window openings. Such variant mode of ejection would of course be necessary if the furniture climb-proof means according to the FIGS. 8-10 form thereof is used, since such means provide that the furniture is physically restrained against relatively upward movement from its window opening.

Without further analysis, it will be appreciated that a printing form as herein described and illustrated achieves the stated objectives of the invention in simple, practical and thoroughly dependable manner. That is to say, it provides 0 solutions for the many problems heretofore encountered in the use of the printing chase or form employing a quoin as the lockup means, particularly those resulting from bucklingupof the chase frame and/or of the printingelemerits and associated furniture/By providing for independent lockup of printing ele ments against fixed locating surfaces, elimination of accumulative errors. due to imperfections in casting of the linotype' sortability and thisrequires-ahigh degree of accuracy of printed lines, numbers, etc.

Other notable advantages of a printing form as herein proposed are those stemming from the feature-of climb-proof.

furnitureythe provision of special furniture enabling vertical flexibility inline location; the provision of pressure members which, make possible lateral flexibility of printing elements within window openings; and the provisionof means for making use of unmounted cuts when the usual mounted cuts are not readily available.

Finally, the invention provides means for effecting partial or complete ejection of the printing elements and associated furniture if any from their respective window openings. Such is a highly meritorious feature since in enables rapid changeover of all or selected ones of the printing elements, as required in changing from one check printing job to another.

As many changes in a printing form and its associated parts as described and illustrated are possible without departure from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

lclaim:

l. A quoinless printing form for imprinting bank checks and the like with plural, vertically spaced-apart lines of printed matter including one line of characters printed in magnetic ink and which is located in a designated field of said checks and in fixed relationship to the format of all checks being imprinted as is required for subsequent computer scanning and sorting thereof, comprising a base plate of preferably lightweight rigid material having a plurality of generally rectangular window openings which extend fully through said plate and are distributed throughout the area thereof generally in accordance with the format of the checks being printed, at least one printing element removably received in each said opening, one edge of each said opening being formed as a straight edge providing a locating surface for accurately locating the printing element received therein, a plurality ofindividually acting yieldable pressure units operative through the effective opposite edge of each said opening for exerting side-face pressure on said printing element received therein sufficient both to press said clement against said one edge and thereby accurately locate same and to secure said element in place within said window opening by friction, and means mounting said plurality of pressure units and said elements for operation as aforesaid and for their ready removal through their respective window openings.

2. A quoinless printing form according to claim 1, wherein said pressure units include spring-pressed balls which project through said effective opposite edge.

3. A quoinless printing form according to claim 1, wherein said effective opposite edge of at least one said window opening comprises the side face of a longitudinally extending barform member in which said plurality of pressure units operative through said opposite edge as aforesaid are mounted, and means removably mounting said bar-form member in said window opening.

4. A quoinless printing from according to claim 3, wherein said bar-form member extends longitudinally between two window openings, and the opposite side faces of said member provide the effective opposite edges of said window openings.

5. A quoinless printing form according to claim 1, wherein at least one window opening contains furniture serving to dispose the printing element or elements received therein as required for a particular check format, and wherein the relatively upper surface or surfaces of said furniture are belowtype-high and means are provided for preventing workup of the furniture with respect to an adjacent printing element.

6. A quoinless printing element according to claim 5, wherein said last-named means comprises cooperative ribs on engaging side faces of a printing element and an adjacent piece of furniture enabling said printing element to hold the adjacent furniture piece in place.

7. A quoinless printing element according to claim 5, wherein said last-named means includes projections on the end edges ofthe furniture and complemental provisions on the side edges of said window opening coacting with said projections for removably securing the furniture to the base plate.

8. A quoinless printing element according to claim I, wherein at least one window opening contains furniture having alternate positions in said opening enabling it to provide space for one or plural printing elements in the form of linotype slugs between a side-face thereof and said one edge of said window opening, and means for removably locating said furniture in said window opening in each of its alternate positions.

9. A quoinless printing form according to claim 8, wherein said last-named means comprise cooperating tongues on the ends of said furniture and grooves on the side edges of said window opening in which said tongues are removably received.

10. A quoinless printing form according to claim 1, wherein a printing element in the form of an unmounted cut is provided, and wherein means are provided on the upper face of the base plate for securing said unmounted cut flush thereagainst.

11. A quoinless printing form according to claim [0, wherein said last means comprise locating pins with which an edge of the cut are engaged and spring means detachably engaging an opposite edge of said cut.

12. A quoinless printing form according to claim 1, in combination with an ejector grid enabling rapid changeover of the printing elements, said ejector grid comprising a plate member provided on at least one face with projections complementing the window opening of the base plate, said projections adapted when registered with the window openings to move into the latter and at least partially eject the printing elements and furniture if any contained therein.

13. A quoinless printing form according to claim 12, wherein the plate member is provided on both its faces with projections as aforesaid, theprojections of one face having length such as to effect partial ejection of the printing elements and theprojections ofthe other face having length such as to effect full ejection of the printing elements.

14. A quoinless printing form according to claim 1, wherein said pressure units are arranged in upper and lower longitudinal rows and the pressure units of one row are staggered with respect to the elements ofthe other row.

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