Method of mounting and registering a printing plate on a plate cylinder of a multi-color offset printing press

1. A method of mounting and adjusting printing plates on plate cylinders of a multicolour offset printing press, the method comprising the following steps:

a) clamping a leading end of a printing plate in a front clamping bar of one of the plate cylinders;

b) wrapping the printing plate around the circumference of the plate cylinder;

c) clamping a trailing end of the printing plate in a rear clamping bar of the plate cylinder, which rear clamping bar is movable under the application of a tensioning force and which rear clamping bar occupies, during the clamping of the trailing end of the printing plate in the rear clamping bar, a tension-release position;

d) tensioning the printing plate by applying a nominal tensioning force to the rear clamping bar, thereby causing the rear clamping bar to move from the tension-release position to a nominal tensioning position;

e) setting and storing the nominal tensioning position as a reference position of the rear clamping bar;

f) measuring a print register of each tensioned printing plate once all of the printing plates have been clamped and tensioned on their corresponding plate cylinders;

g) comparing the measured print register of each tensioned printing plate with a target print register and determining a corrected tensioning position of the rear clamping bar corresponding to the target print register for each printing plate;

h) releasing the tension of the printing plate;

i) setting the previously-determined corrected tensioning position as a new reference position of the rear clamping bar one of before and after tensioning again the printing plate; and

j) if necessary, repeating steps f) to i) until the measured print register matches the target print register.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein step i) includes setting the previously-determined corrected tensioning position as a new reference position of the rear clamping bar before tensioning again the printing plate by applying a tensioning force to the rear clamping bar thereby causing the rear clamping bar to move to the new reference position.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 , further comprising the step of locking the rear clamping bar in position onto the plate cylinder following tensioning of the printing plate at steps d) and i) and unlocking the rear clamping bar before releasing the tension of the printing plate at step h).

4. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein setting of the reference position of the rear clamping bar at steps e) and i) is performed by means of two or more, preferably four, adjusting elements against which the rear clamping bar abuts.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein step i) includes tensioning again the printing plate by applying a tensioning force to the rear clamping bar thereby causing the rear clamping bar to move to a correcting position before setting the previously-determined corrected tensioning position as new reference position of the rear clamping bar.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 , further comprising the step of holding the rear clamping bar in position onto the plate cylinder upon setting of the reference position of the rear clamping bar at steps e) and i) and freeing the rear clamping bar before releasing the tension of the printing plate at step h).

7. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein setting of the reference position of the rear clamping bar at steps e) and i) is performed by means of two or more, preferably four, adjusting elements mounted on the rear clamping bar, which adjusting elements cooperate with a reference wall of the plate cylinder.

8. The method as defined in claim 4 , wherein the adjusting elements are remote-adjustable motorized adjusting elements, such as motorized screw elements.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein tensioning of the printing plate is performed by a rapid movement of the entire rear clamping bar of the plate cylinder, which rear clamping bar acts and applies a tensioning force over the whole width of the printing plate.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein tensioning of the printing plate is carried out pneumatically.

11. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the nominal tensioning position is a position corresponding to an equilibrium between the nominal tensioning force applied to the rear clamping bar and the resulting reactive force produced by the tensioned printing plate.

12. The method as defined in claim 1 , further including pre-bending of the leading end and trailing end of the printing plate prior to mounting of the printing plate on the plate cylinder, the leading end and trailing end of the printing plate each exhibiting a defined bending angle.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 , wherein the rear clamping bar is moved to a retracted position allowing the trailing end of the printing plate to enter a mouth of the rear clamping bar upon complete wrapping of the printing plate around the plate cylinder.

14. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising, prior to mounting of the printing plate on the plate cylinder, the steps of:

determining a cylinder roundness profile of the plate cylinder, which cylinder roundness profile is unique to the plate cylinder and depends on mechanical characteristics of the plate cylinder and of its mounting and driving in the printing press; and

imaging a printing image on the printing plate based on the cylinder roundness profile of the plate cylinder onto which the printing plate is to be mounted.

15. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the multicolour offset printing press is of the type comprising multiple plate cylinders transferring inks to a common blanket cylinder, and wherein steps a) to j) are carried out for each plate cylinder.