PRINTING MACHINE

PURPOSE:To achieve improvement of operating efficiency, by a method wherein a plurality of sets of a type drum arranged in a dispersed state along upside of a work transfer path, and a printing indexing mechanism which performs collectively printing indexing of the type drum of each set under a state where it is combined with the type drum are established. CONSTITUTION:A printing drum 20 of each set is collectively set by indexing by an operating performance of a printing indexing mechanism 30 so that a type of printing specified at a type ring of each column comes just under the drum. When this printing indexing operation is completed, to a drum driving mechanism 40 of a set selected correspondingly to a specified printing pitch interval among a plurality of sets of type drums 20, the locator mechanism is actuated, and the detent 45 is engaged with a rack of the type ring 21 at each column to lock the type drum 20 not to be sheared from a specified indexing position. Besides, an arm swing operating cylinder 44 of the drum driving mechanism 40 is successively actuated to operate the type drum 20 of a set selected via a swing arm 43 from the printing indexing position down ward to a printing position.