Patent ID: 6883429

Claim:
A double-sided printing machine, comprising: a printing unit for printing opposite faces of a sheet-like material; ink supply means for supplying ink to said printing unit, said ink supply means being supported to be brought into contact with and separated from said printing unit; a delivery pile, provided downstream of the printing unit, for collecting said sheet-like material; and transport means for transporting said sheet-like material from said printing unit to said delivery pile while holding said sheet-like material, said transport means including, a first delivery chain passing through a lower side of said ink supply means, a second delivery chain provided above the delivery pile, wherein the second delivery chain is located in relatively close proximity to a site directly above the delivery pile and extending in a straight line along its entire length and being parallel to a floor surface on which the printing machine is installed, a plurality of transport cylinders for transporting said sheet-like material from said first delivery chain to said second delivery chain and provided at a position higher than the first delivery chain and lower than the second delivery chain, said plurality of transport cylinders including a first transport cylinder and a second transport cylinder provided immediately adjacent to the delivery pile and arranged in zigzag fashion with respect to a generally vertical directions, wherein the first transport cylinder and the second transport cylinder are located below a position where the sheet-like material transported by the second delivery chain is released from the second delivery chain and delivered to the delivery pile, first detection means for detecting a status of printing on one face of said sheet-like material when said sheet-like material is transported by said first transport cylinder; and second detection means for detecting a status of printing on the other face of said sheet-like material when said sheet-like material is transported by said second transport cylinder.