Patent ID: 8011411

Claim:
A sheet fed rotary offset printing press for printing and processing individual printing sheets comprising: a plurality of sheet fed rotary printing units each including a cylinder adapted for carrying a printing plate during a printing operation of the printing unit and an impression cylinder, a plurality of sheet transfer cylinders circumferentially around which individual sheets travel during movement between said printing units; said impression cylinders each receiving individual sheets from a respective transfer cylinder for transfer circumferentially around the impression cylinder; one of said printing units functioning as an application unit for coating an image area on the individual printing sheets with an adhesive pattern; a supply of transfer foil having a multi-layer structure including a carrier layer and an image forming layer, one of said printing units functioning as a coating unit for transferring an image forming layer of the transfer foil to the individual printing sheets, said one of said printing units that functions as a coating unit having a form or blanket cylinder that with the impression cylinder of the printing unit defines a sheet passage gap and which functions as a press cylinder, a transfer foil guiding device for guiding the transfer foil through said transfer gap with the carrier layer of the transfer foil in contacting relation to the press cylinder under pressure through the transfer gap with the coated side of the printing sheet in contact with the image forming layer of the transfer foil such that the image forming layer is transferred to the image area of the printing sheet having the adhesive pattern; and said press cylinder having a low-friction covering different from the surface covering of the impression cylinder, said low friction covering comprising a plastic outer surface comprising spherical elements positioned at substantially the same height on the surface and having a low surface roughness with a peak to valley height in the range of 1 μm or less and configured for limiting adhesion of the press cylinder to the carrier layer of the transfer foil during contacting engagement of the transfer foil so that the image forming layer is cleanly transferred and adhered to the adhesive pattern on the printing sheet in the transfer gap without displacement of the adhesive pattern on the printing sheet by contact of the press cylinder with the carrier layer of the transfer foil in the transfer gap.