A dampening water amount regulating apparatus 40 includes a plurality of air supply boxes 41 disposed in a line in an axial direction of a water transfer roller 8 and each defines one air blowing portion. The air supply box 41 includes a substantially U-shaped air passage 67 that allows air in an air supply chamber 57 to pass along an outer peripheral surface of the water transfer roller 8 and supplies the same into an air discharge chamber 60. A valve mechanism 44 that increases and decreases an air amount is provided at a midsection of the air passage 67.

After the end of a preceding print job, a printing press is stopped, and ink form rollers (6-1 to 6-4) of an ink roller group (6) are thrown off. After that, a printing plate (7) is exchanged with a printing plate (7) of a next print job, and a blanket (91) mounted on a blanket cylinder (9) is cleaned. The opening amounts of ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) corresponding to the image of the printing plate (7) of the next print job are obtained. The obtained opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) are corrected by correction values of the opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) considering the influence of cleaning of the blanket (91) to obtain corrected opening amounts. In a state in which the opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) have been set to the corrected opening amounts, a corrected ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the image of the printing plate (7) of the next print job is formed on the ink roller group (6).

After the end of a preceding print job, a printing press is stopped, and ink form rollers (6-1 to 6-4) of an ink roller group (6) are thrown off. After that, a printing plate (7) is exchanged with a printing plate (7) of a next print job, and a blanket (91) mounted on a blanket cylinder (9) is cleaned. The opening amounts of ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) corresponding to the image of the printing plate (7) of the next print job are obtained. The obtained opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) are corrected by correction values of the opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) considering the influence of cleaning of the blanket (91) to obtain corrected opening amounts. In a state in which the opening amounts of the ink fountain keys (4-1 to 4-n) have been set to the corrected opening amounts, a corrected ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the image of the printing plate (7) of the next print job is formed on the ink roller group (6).

An inking system is used to transfer a plurality of different inks to an anilox roller in a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system. A fountain roller system including a plurality of coaxial fountain roller elements, each fountain roller element having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the ink transfer zone radii for the plurality of fountain roller elements are the same. A segmented ink tray includes a plurality of ink tray segments, wherein each fountain roller element is mounted within a corresponding ink tray segment. Each fountain roller element is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to a corresponding zone of the anilox roller.

An inking system is used to transfer a plurality of different inks to an anilox roller in a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system. A fountain roller system including a plurality of coaxial fountain roller elements, each fountain roller element having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the ink transfer zone radii for the plurality of fountain roller elements are the same. A segmented ink tray includes a plurality of ink tray segments, wherein each fountain roller element is mounted within a corresponding ink tray segment. Each fountain roller element is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to a corresponding zone of the anilox roller.

An inking system is used to transfer a plurality of different inks to an anilox roller in a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system. A fountain roller system including a plurality of coaxial fountain roller elements, each fountain roller element having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the ink transfer zone radii for the plurality of fountain roller elements are the same. A segmented ink tray includes a plurality of ink tray segments, wherein each fountain roller element is mounted within a corresponding ink tray segment. Each fountain roller element is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to a corresponding zone of the anilox roller.

An inking system is used to transfer a plurality of different inks to an anilox roller in a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system. A fountain roller system including a plurality of coaxial fountain roller elements, each fountain roller element having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the ink transfer zone radii for the plurality of fountain roller elements are the same. A segmented ink tray includes a plurality of ink tray segments, wherein each fountain roller element is mounted within a corresponding ink tray segment. Each fountain roller element is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to a corresponding zone of the anilox roller.