Patent ID: 6880439

Claim:
A method of cross-cutting a web along a series of cutting lines in a web-fed rotary printing press to produce a series of sheets, each sheet having a cut length, said method comprising: providing a knife cylinder in a web fed rotary printing press, the knife cylinder having an axis of rotation, a cutting knife, and a circumference which is less than the cut length of a sheet; moving the web through the press at an approximately constant web speed; rotating the knife cylinder in a first direction with a circumferential speed that corresponds to the web speed while the web is being cross-cut by the cutting knife; reversing the direction of rotation of the knife cylinder after completing a cross-cut; bringing the knife cylinder to a stop following the reversing; and accelerating the knife cylinder in the first direction until the knife cylinder is again rotating with a circumferential speed which corresponds to the web speed, prior to making another cross-cut.