Patent ID: 7127991

Claim:
A printing unit for influencing lateral web spreading in a rotary printing press, the printing unit comprising: first and second transfer cylinders contacting each other along a contact zone and arranged for receiving a web to be printed on therebetween, at least one plate cylinder respectively settable onto one of said first and second transfer cylinders for printing on at least one side of the web receivable between said first and second transfer cylinders in the contact zone, and at least one rubber blanket clamped onto one of said first and second transfer cylinders, wherein said one of said first and second transfer cylinders is movable to a skewed position relative to the at least one plate cylinder so that a pressure in a center region of the contact zone along a length of the contact zone is increased, thereby increasing the effective radius of the at least one rubber blanket from the center region of the contact zone outward so that a concave velocity profile is producible on the web receivable in the contact zone between said first and second transfer cylinders, the velocity at the outer sides of the concave velocity profile being greater than the velocity at the center of the velocity profile.