Some examples include checking the quality of printed products that are consecutively produced by multiple printing presses to have at least three printed patterns spaced apart from one another. The printed patterns are printed using different printing processes, such as a steel engraving process, an offset printing process, and a screen printing process that may be used for printing the three printed patterns of each printed product. A screen printing press is used for the screen printing process, with multiple steel plates being alternately used in the same production operation for the steel engraving process in an intaglio printing press. For at least two of the steel plates involved in carrying out the steel engraving process, a processing unit may selectively ascertain the deviation of the respective value of the relevant distances associated with the printed patterns, which may be instantaneously ascertained from a defined scale.

A rotary screen printing press is provided with a screen-cylinder throw-on/off motor encoder (231) that detects the position of a screen cylinder (201), a squeegee throw-on/off motor encoder (232) that detects the position of a squeegee (221), and a control unit (300) that controls screen cylinder throw-on/off motors (209) and squeegee throw-on/off motors (224) based on the position of the screen cylinder (201) detected by the screen-cylinder throw-on/off motor encoder (231) and the position of the squeegee (221) detected by the squeegee throw-on/off motor encoder (232) so that the squeegee (221) may not contact a screen plate (201A) except when the screen plate (201A) is in contact with an impression cylinder (100).

A rotary screen printing press is provided with a screen-cylinder throw-on/off motor encoder (231) that detects the position of a screen cylinder (201), a squeegee throw-on/off motor encoder (232) that detects the position of a squeegee (221), and a control unit (300) that controls screen cylinder throw-on/off motors (209) and squeegee throw-on/off motors (224) based on the position of the screen cylinder (201) detected by the screen-cylinder throw-on/off motor encoder (231) and the position of the squeegee (221) detected by the squeegee throw-on/off motor encoder (232) so that the squeegee (221) may not contact a screen plate (201A) except when the screen plate (201A) is in contact with an impression cylinder (100).

A processing device configured to process a printed sheet (3) includes an embossing device (5) configured to perform emboss-processing of the sheet (3), and a final processing device configured to perform final working processing of a surface of the sheet (3). The final processing device includes at least one of a number printing device (6) configured to print a number on the sheet (3), and a varnishing device configured to apply a varnish to the sheet (3). There is provided a processing device capable of performing emboss-processing without disturbing sheet feeding when performing the final process of printing by performing the emboss-processing at an appropriate stage of a printing step.

A method is provided for freezing the orientation of orientable magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles by irradiation hardening the coating layer comprising the orientable magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles through the substrate carrying the coating layer. This method can be used in the protection of security documents, such as for example banknotes and identity documents, against counterfeit and illegal reproduction.

A method is provided for freezing the orientation of orientable magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles by irradiation hardening the coating layer comprising the orientable magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles through the substrate carrying the coating layer. This method can be used in the protection of security documents, such as for example banknotes and identity documents, against counterfeit and illegal reproduction.

An intaglio printing plate is configured to protect a micro optics, RFID or chip feature of a security document during the process of intaglio printing the security document which applies very high pressure that could otherwise damage the micro optics, RFID or chip feature. A method for making the printing plate is also provided. The printing plate comprises a pressure relief depression located to coincide with the micro optics, RFID or chip feature during printing of a substrate of the security document. The pressure relief depression has a depth between 30-120 microns and shape corresponding to the shape of the micro optics, RFID or chip feature.

An intaglio printing plate is configured to protect a micro optics, RFID or chip feature of a security document during the process of intaglio printing the security document which applies very high pressure that could otherwise damage the micro optics, RFID or chip feature. A method for making the printing plate is also provided. The printing plate comprises a pressure relief depression located to coincide with the micro optics, RFID or chip feature during printing of a substrate of the security document. The pressure relief depression has a depth between 30-120 microns and shape corresponding to the shape of the micro optics, RFID or chip feature.

The invention relates to a device for printing sheets of printing substrate (02), having a first printing nip (12) which is formed between a first cylinder (19; 19*) that acts as a transport cylinder (19; 19*) and a second cylinder (18), and in which the printing substrate sheets (02) can be printed on one or on both sides with one or more collected print image segments, and having a second printing nip (11) lying downstream in the printing substrate path, which printing nip is disposed at a level lying below the first printing nip (12) and is formed between a third cylinder (17) that acts as a transport cylinder (17) and a fourth cylinder (16), and in which the printing substrate sheets (02) can be printed on one or on both sides with one or more collected print image segments, wherein the printing substrate sheets (02) can be conveyed via at least one rotating transport means (33; 38; 39) along a transport path from the cylinder (19; 19*) that acts as a transport cylinder (19; 19*) of the first printing nip (12) to the cylinder (17) that acts as a transport cylinder (17) of the second printing nip (11), wherein on the transport path, downstream of the cylinder (19; 19*) that acts as a transport cylinder (19; 19*) of the first printing nip (12) and upstream of the cylinder (17) that acts as a transport cylinder (17) of the second printing nip (11), at least one first electrode (37; 41) directed toward the outer circumference of the at least one rotating transport means (33) is arranged in an angular segment lying in the transport path for the printing substrate sheets (02) in such a way that when an electric voltage is applied, a printing substrate sheet (02) being guided past the electrode (37; 41) can be electrostatically charged.

A sheet-fed printing machine comprises two sheet-fed printing units; of which a first is configured as a sheet-fed simultaneous printing unit and has two collector cylinders, which interact with one another and each have an axis of rotation. An axial plane contains the axes of rotation of the collector cylinders. A reference plane contains an axis of rotation of this type and has a horizontal surface normal. An intersection angle between the axial plane and the reference plane is, at a maximum, 45 degrees. A first one of the sheet-fed simultaneous printing units has exactly four plate cylinders, of which exactly two are arranged such that they directly interact with the first collector cylinder and has exactly two others which are arranged such that they directly interact with the second collector cylinder. A second sheet-fed printing unit has at least one impression cylinder and at least one plate cylinder, which is arranged such that it directly interacts with the impression cylinder and which is configured a screen printing plate cylinder, or as a flexo plate cylinder or as a numbering plate cylinder. The two collector cylinders of the first printing unit and the impression cylinder of the second printing unit have the same circumference.