PURPOSE: To provide a hot air dryer for printing press utilizing high velocity air jet for scattering a wet air layer adhering to the surface of a just printed sheet.

CONSTITUTION: A high velocity air jet is heated into high temperature state while being fed along a resistive heating element 38 disposed in an air distribution baffle tube 64. The heated high velocity air pressurizes a plenum chamber in an air distribution manifold. High temperature high velocity air jet is passed through a large number of air conduction holes 54 and blown to the side of a print sheet, passing through a dryer exposing zone Z, where ink is adhering in wet state. The wet air layer, the high velocity high temperature air, the sheet, the printer and volatiles are removed using an extractor 40.