Inking unit for a printing machine

An inking unit for a printing machine, including an ink duct with a scoop cylinder partly dipping into ink received in the ink duct, further includes zonally acting metering elements for setting on a provided cylinder selected from a group thereof consisting of the scoop cylinder and another cylinder, an ink distribution corresponding to a printing image, the metering elements being individually convertible between two metering states, at least one transfer cylinder for transferring ink, which has been set on the provided cylinder by the metering elements, onto a printing form, a drive for rotating the scoop cylinder and further cylinders, and a control device connected to the drive and the metering elements, the metering elements being arranged above the level of the ink in the ink duct, so that two ink layer thicknesses differing from one another are producible in circumferential direction, over the width of a metering element, by the metering elements, respectively, in the two metering states, on the provided cylinder assigned thereto, the transfer cylinder being disposed in parallel with the provided cylinder to which the metering elements are assigned, the provided cylinder and the transfer cylinder having a clearance therebetween which is larger than a minimum ink layer thickness producible by the metering elements and smaller than a maximum ink layer thickness producible by the metering elements.