Lithographic newspaper printing press

1. A lithographic newspaper printing press with a least one printing unit, the printing press printing a newspaper page, the printing unit comprising:

a housing having a first side wall and a second side wall;

a first and a second plate cylinder each being rotatably mounted in the housing, the plate cylinders having a length being substantially four times the width of a flexible printing plate sized to carry a single newspaper page and having a circumference being substantially equal to the height of the flexible printing plate, wherein each of the first and second plate cylinders carries four of the flexible print plates, the flexible printing plates being wrapped around the cylinders and being held by a plate lock-up mechanism, and wherein the flexible printing plates are mounted on the first and second plate cylinders side by side;

a first and a second blanket cylinder associated with the first and second plate cylinders, each of the first and second blanket cylinders having substantially the same diameter as the associated plate cylinder;

an axially removable continuous blanket sleeve mounted on each of the first and second blanket cylinders, each of the first and second blanket cylinders being cantilevered in the first side wall of the housing, when removing the continuous blanket sleeves from the first and second blanket cylinders;

wherein the length to diameter ratio of the first and second plate cylinders is in the range between 5.8:1 and 9:1 and a width of said removable continuous blanket sleeve corresponding to at least that of the flexible printing plates mounted side-by side.

2. A printing press according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second plate cylinders and said associated blanket cylinders of each printing unit are arranged substantially in line.

3. A printing press according to claim 1 , wherein said plate cylinders and their associated blanket cylinders form printing couples, and each of said printing couples is driven by a separate motor.

4. A printing press according to claim 1 , wherein the length of said first and second plate cylinders is in the range between 1200 mm and 1700 mm.

5. A printing press according to claim 1 , wherein the circumference of each of said first and second plate cylinders is in the range between 470 mm and 650 mm.

6. A printing press according to claim 1 , wherein four printing units, each printing unit printing a different color, are arranged on top of each other, the web running substantially vertically from one unit to the other.

7. A printing press according to claim 6 , wherein a fifth printing unit is arranged on top of the four printing units.

8. A printing press according to claim 7 , wherein said four printing units are for printing the colors yellow, magenta, cyan and black and said fifth printing unit is printing spot-colors which are different from said colors of said four printing units.

9. A printing press according to claim 7 , wherein said fifth printing unit is printing the same color as one of said four printing units and is operated in alternation with said printing unit printing the same color.

10. A printing press according to claim 7 , wherein said four printing units are configured to print the colors yellow, magenta, cyan and black and said fifth printing unit is configured to print spot-colors which are different from said colors of said four printing units.

11. A printing press according to claim 7 , wherein said fifth printing unit is configured to print the same color as one of said four printing units and to operate in alternation with said printing unit printing the same color.

12. A printing press according to claim 1 , wherein each of said plate cylinders comprises a plate lock-up mechanism for separately locking up four conventional printing plates.

13. A printing press according to claim 1 , wherein a pinless folding apparatus for processing the printed web into signatures is provided downstream of said printing unit, the web printed in said printing units being fed to said pinless folding apparatus.

14. A lithographic newspaper printing press with at least one printing unit, the printing press printing a newspaper page, the printing unit comprising:

a housing having a first side wall and a second side wall;

a first and a second plate cylinder each being rotatably mounted in the housing, the plate cylinders having a length being substantially four times the width of flexible printing plate sized to carry a single newspaper page and having a circumference being substantially equal to the height of the flexible printing plate, wherein each of the first and second plate cylinders carries four of the flexible printing plates, the flexible printing plates being wrapped around the cylinders and being held by a plate lock-up mechanism, and wherein the flexible printing plates are mounted on the first and second plate cylinders side by side;

a first and a second blanket cylinder associated with the first and second plate cylinders, each of the first and second blanket cylinders having substantially the same diameter as the associated plate cylinder;

an axially removable continuous blanket sleeve mounted on each of the first and second blanket cylinders, each of the first and second blanket cylinders being cantilevered in the first side wall of the housing, when removing the continuous blanket sleeves from the first and second blanket cylinders;

wherein the length to diameter ratio of the first and second plate cylinders is in the range between 5.8:1 and 9:1;

wherein each of said plate cylinders has a circumferential register adjustment system configured to provide circumferential register adjustment to its respective plate cylinder; and

wherein said axially removable continuous blanket sleeves each have a width corresponding to at least that of the four flexible printing plates mounted side-by-side.