BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of so-called "printing blankets" in offset lithography has been well known for a number of years. In the process of offset lithographic printing, a rotary cylinder is covered with a printing plate having a positive image area receptive to oil-based inks and repellent to water, as well as a background area in which the opposite is true. The printing plate is rotated so that its surface contacts a second cylinder covered with a rubber-surfaced ink receptive printing blanket. The ink present on the image surface of the printing plate transfers to the surface of the blanket. Paper or other sheet stock to be printed is then passed between the blanket covered cylinder and a rigid back- up cylinder to transfer the image from the surface of the blanket to the paper.

During the steps in which the image is transferred from the plate to the blanket and subsequently wherein the image is transferred from the printing blanket to the paper, it is important to ensure intimate contact between the two contacting surfaces. This is ordinarily achieved by positioning the blanket covered cylinder and the supporting cylinder it contacts so that there is a fixed interference between the two. Thus, the blanket is compressed throughout the printing run to a fixed depth, typically about 0.002 to

0.006 inches. Moreover, it is also important that this compression be maintained uniformly over the entire blanket.

Conventional printing blankets are typically attached to a cylinder, or printing apparatus, through a gap in the printing apparatus, which creates an area of non-print that wastes the printing substrate. Printing blankets having gaps also create shock and vibration during printing, thereby limiting printing press speeds and printing quality. Thus, gapless, cylindrical printing blankets were developed to overcome these deficiencies.

U.S. Patents No. 5,323,702 and 5,304,267 are two examples of such cylindrical printing blankets. These patents disclose a seamless tubular printing blanket for a blanket cylinder in an offset printing press without slipping of printing surfaces or overheating, in which two compressible layers each contain a compressible thread extending helically through a tubular body and are bonded to the elastomeric material of the tubular body. Additionally, the blanket contains an inextensible layer with a longitudinally inextensible thread therein that extends helically around one of the compressible layers. Adjacent windings of the inextensible thread extend in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular printing blanket.

It is also known to create tapered articles, such as pipes, or devices for applying ink. One example of a tapered article is U.S. Patent No. 4,002,715, which discloses a tapered synthetic resin pipe produced by winding belt-like fibers around a tapered core bar, inserting the resulting structure into a tapered mold and pulling out only the core bar, pouring a thermosetting synthetic therein and rotating the mold. The outer surface of the resin pipe is tapered, as opposed to cylindrical.

Another example of a tapered device is U.S. Patent No. 4,444,102, which discloses an apparatus for applying ink.

This device includes a tapered conical roll having a conical surface mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis and a

transfer cone with a silicone surface for transferring ink onto the first conical roll. U.S. Patent No. 4,480,540 similarly discloses a rotatably driven turret including printing station assemblies having etch cones sleeved over a shaft. That patent includes a means for collecting design portions from the printing stations, and the collector surface is disclosed as having a flexible membrane for intimately contacting a second conical surface in a non-slip relationship, e.g., for printing on tapered objects.

A variety of printing devices, both having gaps and seamless, are known in the art. A few of these are discussed below.

U.S. Patent No. 4,463,044 discloses a varied thickness laminate or panel fabricated by polar winding incomplete lamina or plies about a mandrel at selected angles by forming a "V" at the wide starting end to the narrow other end, thus forming a taper. Successive plies are wound about the mandrel from polar ends, each successive set forming a V to thicken the windings. The mandrel is made to be generally cylindrical.

U.S. Patent No. 4,681,035 discloses a blanket cylinder for offset printing having underlays between the rubber blanket and the cylinder surface provided with differential thicknesses to compensate for oscillations and bending of a blanket cylinder. Preferably, an underlay blanket that tapers uniformly from a thinner portion to a thicker portion is desired in certain circumstances. These features allegedly substantially reduce and render ineffective the oscillatory conditions found in printing cylinder-blanket cylinder combinations.

U.S. Patent No. 5,205,213 discloses a cylinder covered with a seamless printing blanket without any gap.

The blanket comprises a gapless sleeve for mounting around a cylinder and minimizing vibration at high speeds having an inner layer of cellular rubber, a gapless hard elastomeric layer, and a gapless printing layer.

U.S. Patent No. 5,316,798 discloses a volume compressible cover layer being formed as a unitary or seamless cover layer of foamed or expanded or blown material resulting in micropores or microcells of less than 0.01 mm.

The layer is applied by providing a base substance made thixotropic, stirring it and applying it in liquid form as a spiral stripe on a rotating and axially moving cylinder, the material being free foaming and curing as it is being applied.

U.S. Patent No. 5,352,507 discloses a multilayered sleeve-like printing blanket mountable on gapless cylinders or tubular blanket carriers, thereby minimizing vibration at high rotational speeds, containing a seamless outer printing surface layer, at least one parallel fiber-reinforced elastomer layer, and a resiliently compressible layer.

U.S. Patent No. 5,522,315 discloses a printing article that includes a rotatable cylindrical support and a compressible laminate mounted upon the support. The upper surface of the compressible layer of the laminate is spaced closer to the upper surface of the printing face in the center of the cylindrical support than at the ends. In one embodiment, the compressible layer has a center step and tapered sides.

Conventional printing components, which have both a sleeve and a printing blanket, have a variety of deficiencies. One example of a conventional printing component is U.S. Patent No. 5,215,013, which discloses a tubular printing blanket having a metal sleeve that is receivable over a blanket cylinder by diametric expansion under the influence of pneumatic pressure directed against the inner surface of the sleeve and movable telescopically over the cylinder. This pneumatic pressure typically produces a loud shrieking noise when the blanket and sleeve are placed on a mandrel. The outer surface of the blanket cylinder has a diameter slightly greater than the inside diameter of the sleeve in the blanket, forcing the sleeve to expand diametrically when moved against the chamfered edge

surface in a direction axially toward the cylindrical outer surface of the cylinder.

Conventional printing components tend to use a metal sleeve, such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent No.

5,215,013, which is thin to facilitate mounting the sleeve on a printing apparatus, such as a roller or mandrel. The thin metal sleeves are easily damaged during handling, and tend to buckle and crease, making them unusable or shortening their useful life. Recycling such sleeves with a new printing blanket portion is also difficult, because the sleeves are easily damaged. Conventional sleeves are straight fit onto the printing apparatus, and rely on interference fit and stretch to grip the apparatus. Thus, they can tend to rotate or slip during operation, which undesirably affects print quality to a varying degree. Thin metal sleeves hazardously contain sharp edges that pose the risk of cuts to personnel during the mounting process. Thin metal sleeves also vibrate easily when air pressure is applied during the mounting of the sleeve on the printing apparatus, which tends to cause the loud shrieking noise described above.

It has been desired in the field to produce a printing component including a seamless printing blanket and a sleeve that avoids the disadvantages of flat sleeves. Such a printing component would desirably avoid buckling or creasing, thereby facilitating recycling, as well as avoid excessive rotation during printing operations, deaden or eliminate the loud shrieking noises that are commonly produced during mounting, and which avoid cutting the operator, all while remaining easily mountable and de- mountable from the printing apparatus. Such a printing component would also desirably permit an increase in press speed and the reduction in wasted paper common with printing components having a gap therein. The present invention provides a printing component having a printing blanket and a tapered sleeve for use on a correspondingly tapered printing apparatus, such as a mandrel or cylinder, to achieve the desired performance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a printing component having: a printing blanket including a printing face layer having an upper surface, a compressible layer, and a reinforcing layer disposed therebetween; a sleeve having upper and lower surfaces, inner and outer diameters, and first and second ends, where the inner diameter varies from the first end to the second end to provide a taper to the lower surface; and a primer disposed between the printing blanket and the upper surface of the sleeve for bonding the blanket to the upper surface of the sleeve. The upper surface of the printing face layer is substantially cylindrical and the lower surface of the sleeve is tapered sufficiently to facilitate mounting of the printing component on a printing apparatus.

In a preferred embodiment, the base layer includes a natural or synthetic rubber. In a preferred embodiment, the upper surface of the sleeve is substantially cylindrical.

In another preferred embodiment, the taper of the lower surface has a uniform slope.

The lower surface of the sleeve is advantageously tapered at an angle between about 15 seconds of one degree to about 2 degrees, and preferably at an angle between about 30 seconds of one degree to about 30 minutes of 1 degree. Also, the narrower end of the sleeve has a thickness of at least about 1/32 inch. In a preferred embodiment, the narrower end of the sleeve has a thickness of at least about 1/16 inch.

The sleeve generally includes a plurality of fibers bonded with at least one resin, where the fibers are preferably fiberglass and the resin is preferably a thermosetting resin. In one embodiment, the primer disposed between the tapered sleeve and the printing blanket is an organic polymeric solution. The printing component can also include additional primers or adhesives disposed between the primer and the printing blanket.

In one embodiment, the printing blanket further includes a base layer disposed under the compressible layer.

The printing blanket preferably includes a compressible layer of a polyurethane, thermoplastic polymer, or elastomer having an open or closed cellular structure. The printing face layer typically includes at least one elastomer, and the reinforcing layer typically includes at least one wound thread or fabric. The printing blanket advantageously includes a reinforcement layer of at least one wound thread or fabric between the printing face layer and the compressible layer.

If desired, a cylindrical, seamless and gapless printing blanket can be adhered to the sleeve. Instead, the printing blanket can be a flat blanket which is adhered to the sleeve so that the blanket includes a single gap where one end of the blanket is positioned adjacent an opposite end. In this embodiment, the tapered sleeve may be indexed to correspond with a dividing line or page break on the printing image as composed on the printing plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further features and advantages of the invention can be ascertained from a review of the following detailed description which is provided in connection with the attached drawings, wherein,: Fig. 1 illustrates an improved printing component having a tapered sleeve and printing blanket according to the invention; Figs. 2-5 illustrate various embodiments of the printing blanket portion of the printing component according to the invention; and Fig. 6 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a printing component according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The printing component of the present invention, which has a printing blanket and a tapered sleeve that is preferably made of a fiber-reinforced thermosetting resin material, advantageously provides, the desired benefits in a

printing system. The printing component advantageously provides a blanket and sleeve that are simple to mount and de-mount from a printing apparatus, such as a mandrel or cylinder; minimizes or avoids the wasted space of a gap found in conventional printing blankets; is more resistant to damage than conventional thin metal sleeves, thereby facilitating reclamation and reuse after the blanket is worn; permits use of additional grip to resist rotation, to reduce cuts and damage to an operator's hand; and assists in absorbing loud noises typically found when operating conventional metal sleeves.

A variety of conventional offset printing blankets are suitable for use with the tapered sleeve of the printing component. Conventional offset printing blankets generally include a base including a fabric having at least one ply, a compressible layer, and a vulcanized elastomeric printing face. The threads used in forming the fabric entrain a certain amount of air and provide voids to provide the fabric with a certain amount of compressibility. To enhance the compressibility of such blankets, however, compressible material is generally incorporated within the blanket as a compressible layer or incorporated into the fabric. Those skilled in the art have explored a wide variety of ways in which different open cell structures, closed cell structures, microspheres, and various combinations thereof can be used to prepare compressible layers or fabrics that provide printing blankets having the desired compressibility properties. The numerous teachings of how to make compressible printing blankets include the teachings of Reeves Brothers, Inc. PCT Application No. W095/23706; Flint et al., U.S. Patent Nos. 5,364,683 and 5,486,402; Byers et al., U.S. Patent No.

5,334,418; Larson, U.S. Patent No. 4,042,743; Shimura, U.S.

Patent No. 4,422,895; Rhodarmer et al., U.S. Patent No.

3,795,568; Pinkston et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,015,046; Burns, U.S. Patent No. 5,069,958; and Behnke et al., U.S. Patent No.

5,522,315. These references are expressly incorporated herein by reference thereto as suitable compressible printing

blankets for use in the printing component of the present invention. The flat blankets of the Flint et al. patents can be secured to the tapered sleeve by use of a suitable primer in order to provide a relatively small gap: one which is much smaller than that which is provided by flat blankets that utilize metal bars at the ends of the flat blankets for mounting in a groove in the printing cylinder. Other references, such as Behnke et al., disclose cylindrical printing blankets which have no gap at all. One of ordinary skill in the art can utilize either type of printing blanket construction, depending upon the desired printing applications and results needed.

In these blankets, the compressible layer typically includes an elastomeric material, such as nitrile, polysulfide, fluoroelastomers, and similar solvent resistant materials, and preferably nitrile elastomers, and contains about 1 to 15%, and most preferably about 5%, of thermoplastic microspheres, such as Expancel 461 DE, manufactured by Expancel, which is a terpolymer of about 40% acrylonitrile, about 59% vinylidene chloride, and about 1% methyl methacrylate, containing 30 to 70% voids. Other types of microspheres can be used, if desired. Preferably, to enhance the compressibility of such blankets, one or more cellular compressible layer(s) may be positioned within or attached between the base and the elastomeric face of the blanket. These compressible layers may be formed with, for example, a plurality of either open cells (e.g., U.S. patent No. 4,442,895 to Shimura) or closed cells (U.S. patent No.

4,042,743 to Larsen) distributed within the elastomeric matrix. In the Larson patent, the compressible layer is sandwiched between one or more layers of fabric. The compressible layer is made by incorporating resin microballoons in suitable proportions in an elastomer.

Incorporation of such balloons in the compressible elastomeric layer imparts a fine-celled structure of closed cells.

Another method of producing such a closed cell or partially closed cell rubber containing microballoons is described in U.S. patent No. 3,219,600 to Rucker. Similar uses of microballoons or hollow microspheres in the compressible layers of printing blankets are disclosed in U.S. patent Nos. 3,700,541 to Shrimpton et al, 3,983,287 to Goossen et al, and 4,770,928 to Gaworowski et al., and Reeves Brothers Inc. PCT application W093/18913, all of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto. In these patents, hollow microballoons are impregnated in a resilient polymer or the like to form a compressible elastomeric sheet for use as an intermediate layer in a printing blanket.

The top layer, or printing face layer, of the printing blanket is typically formed from a high durometer, high tensile, low elongation elastomeric compound, such as nitrile, polysulfide, fluoroelastomers, and similar solvent resistant materials, preferably a nitrile blend. The surface is provided to enhance the physical properties of the laminate, and provide a stable printing face, thus, resulting in improved print quality and durability. The surface also serves to improve the resistance of the printing face to cutting while the blanket is in use, making the blanket less susceptible to swelling and delamination from penetration by liquids such as inks, oils and solvents.

A typical cylindrical printing blanket is constructed around a rotatable support, typically configured in the form of a sleeve. The sleeve of the present invention, discussed in more detail below, is advantageously tapered. The outer surface of the sleeve is often provided with a coating of a "primer," which serves to bond the base layer or compressible layer of the blanket to the sleeve, and additionally to prevent wicking of materials such as grease, oil, water, ink, etc. upwardly from the support into the blanket. The base layer is typically included, although optional, and is formed upon the primer(s) over the sleeve.

Multiple base layers are suitable as well. The base layer may be a variety of materials, such as a natural or synthetic

rubber, a continuous fiber or plurality of fiber bands, woven tape, fabric, or a combination thereof. If included, fiber or fiber bands are preferably incorporated with one of the other kinds of base layer materials.

The compressible layer is typically formed above the base layer, if a base layer is present, or directly on the primer(s) by knife blade over roll coating, in which the material is first dissolved in an organic solvent prior to its application upon the base layer or primer(s). In this method, a knife blade controls the thickness and uniformity of the elastomeric matrix coating to form the compressible layer(s). Typically, a knife blade with a straight edge is used to prepare a compressible layer having uniform thickness across the width of the blanket. However, in an alternative embodiment a compressible layer that is thicker in the center than at the ends of the sleeve can be prepared by spreading the compressible layer with a curved knife blade.

Preferably, the compressible layer is applied by incrementally raising the knife blade on each rotation of the sleeve until a compressible layer of a desired thickness is obtained. Generally, a thickness of about 0.001 inches with each pass is applied and passed through a spreader oven at a speed and temperature sufficient to dry, but not cure, the latex. Additional thickness may be applied by repeating the knife blade application as necessary. This method is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, and may be used to prepare the compressible layer(s) of the printing blanket.

The compressible layer or layers preferably use salt particles dispersed in rubber, although other suitable materials for printing blankets may be used. After the knife blade over roll coating, the salt is typically leached out to form voids and provide compressibility. Subsequently, a reinforcing layer and printing face may be applied. An alternative way to produce the compressible layer(s) is by

wrapping the base layer or primer with one or more threads coated with an admixture of an elastomeric matrix and a plurality of compressible open or closed cells.

Subsequently, the reinforcing layer(s) and printing face layer, typically a solid elastomer such as a nitrile blend, are applied to the compressible layer.

In short, a variety of suitable conventional printing blankets may be used in the printing component of the present invention. Preferred embodiments include those printing blankets having a printing face of a polymer blend having a hardness between about 40 to 65 Shore A and having a thickness between about 0.008 to 0.035 inches, preferably about 0.010 to 0.020 inches. A reinforcing layer is typically included, which is made of a wound cord, tape, or fiber-reinforced polymer having a thickness of about 0.005 to 0.015 inches. The compressible layer preferably is about 30% to 65% void volume polymer having a thickness from about 0.007 to 0.015 inches. The base layer typically has a thickness of about 0.005 to 0.100 inches, preferably about 0.01 to 0.06 inches.

The tapered sleeve of the present invention may be a conventional sleeve of any semi-rigid material that will inhibit buckling when the sleeve is mounted or demounted from the printing apparatus, or when used in printing operation.

The tapered sleeve may be prepared by winding fiber yarns saturated with at least one resin onto a mandrel, or roller, having an opposite taper. The yarns are then typically cured and removed from the mandrel to provide a tapered sleeve used with a printing blanket as described herein. Another way to prepare the tapered sleeve is similar to the method of preparing a tapered pipe disclosed in U.S. Patent No.

4,002,715, which patent is expressly incorporated herein by reference thereto as an alternative way to produce the tapered sleeves of the present invention.

The tapered sleeve is preferably made from,a fiber reinforcement and plastic resin. The fiber material is preferably a fiberglass, although materials such as carbon,

Kevlar, or other high performance, high strength synthetic materials can be used. Also, any of a wide variety of thermosetting resins are preferred. Typically, polyester or epoxy resins are used. Tapered sleeves may be obtained commercially from companies such as Strachan Henshaw Machinery, Inc., having a place of business in Chicago, IL 60634, or may be made by the printing blanket manufacturer as a first step before application of the layers of the printing blanket thereon. Any suitable tapered sleeve may thus be combined with a printing blanket by use of a primer to provide the printing component of the present invention.

The tapered sleeve typically has a slight taper that may be visible to the naked eye. The angle of taper is preferably a fixed slope, although the angle may vary slightly from a fixed slope if desired. All angles herein should be understood to be measured from the center line of the cone of the sleeve, i.e., measured from a line through the center line of the tapered sleeve to the lower surface of the sleeve. For example, the sleeve may be tapered to about 5 seconds of one degree to 5 degrees. The sleeve is preferably tapered between about 15 seconds of one degree to two degrees, more preferably between about 30 seconds of one degree to 30 minutes of one degree, and most preferably between about 45 seconds of one degree to 2 minutes of one degree. If the measurement used were a conical angle, i.e., from the upper surface to the lower surface of the sleeve, all angle measurements herein would be doubled.

The tapered sleeve has a narrower end and a thicker end, where the narrower end generally has a minimum thickness of at least about 1/32 inch, preferably at least about 1/16 inch. This minimum thickness is desired to provide sufficient rigidity to the tapered sleeve to inhibit buckling during mounting, demounting, and printing. The sleeve may be made to fairly large thicknesses, particularly where the printing blanket is correspondingly larger as well, as long as the sleeve is still mountable on' a printing apparatus as necessary for printing. A larger printing component,

obtained by using a larger tapered sleeve and printing blanket, facilitates printing on larger articles, for example, large movie posters or foldout maps, newspaper, or book sections, without the need to change the size of the printing cylinder. Overall thicknesses of as great as 0.5 inch to 1 inch are well within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art and can easily be provided as desired for any particular printing application.

The blanket is simply joined to the sleeve using a suitable primer that is compatible with both the rubber materials of the blanket and the resin material of the sleeve. A layer of primer is typically disposed between the printing blanket and the tapered sleeve to join the blanket and sleeve. Additional primers or adhesives may also be used with the primer layer to facilitate adsorption and wicking of fluids, such as inks, water, oils and solvents, upwardly into the blanket from the sleeve. Primers suitable for the present invention include those based upon organic polymeric solutions, such as THIXON P-15 and THIXON-P-6-7, although any primer suitable for joining the base layer of the printing blanket and the tapered sleeve will be suitable. When two layers of primer are used, the first primer is preferably one which bonds to both the material of sleeve and to the second primer, while the other is one which bonds to the material of the blanket and the first primer. For example, the second primer may be a rubber used in the base layer dissolved in a suitable solvent.

FIG. 1 illustrates a printing system according to the present invention. The printing system includes the printing component 1, 50 and a printing apparatus 40. The printing apparatus 40 is here shown as a mandrel. The printing component includes a printing blanket 50 and a tapered sleeve 1. In this preferred embodiment, the printing apparatus 40 has an opposite taper to the lower surface of the tapered sleeve 1. Moreover, this embodiment depicts the taper on the lower surface of the sleeve having a fixed slope

and the upper surface of the sleeve being substantially cylindrical.

FIGS. 2-5 illustrate various embodiments of the printing component according to the invention. Each figure depicts a tapered sleeve and primer combination 20, upon which the printing blanket is disposed. In one preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, a base layer 17 of woven fabric is impregnated with rubber, typically by calendaring, dipping, or coating. A compressible layer 15, typically including rubber having voids, is disposed thereon, where the voids are typically created by using plastic microspheres or salt particles leached from the layer after curing. Above the compressible layer 15 is an additional reinforcing layer 12 including textile cord. The top layer is a printing face and reinforcing layer disposed thereunder 10, both preferably including rubber. FIG. 3 depicts another similarly preferred embodiment, where additional reinforcing layer 12 is replaced by additional reinforcing layer 23 including at least one woven layer of wound thin tape.

FIG. 4 depicts a printing blanket that is also similar to the one in FIG. 2. The blanket here depicts the base layer 17 replaced with base layer 23 or 25, which replaces the layers of woven fabric with either wound layers of cord or wound thin tape.

FIG. 5 shows another printing blanket that uses a base layer(s) 33 made of polymer-reinforced fibers in place of woven fabric or wound tape or cord, as described above.

Above the fiber-reinforced polymer is disposed the same compressible layer 15, above which is a printing face 27 of rubber with no sub-face and a stabilizing layer 30 employing a polymer reinforced with fibers to increase the modulus.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of a printing blanket according to the invention. The top layer is a printing face 2. The layer directly underneath the printing face 2 is the reinforcing layer 3. An additional reinforcing layer 4 of wound cord or woven tape, for example, is depicted beneath the reinforcing layer 3. Beneath the reinforcing layer 4 is

the compressible layer 5, and under that is depicted a base layer 6 of rubber-impregnated fabric that has been spiral wound. Under the base layer 6 is depicted an additional primer or adhesive layer 7 according to the invention, as well as a primer layer 8. All of these layers are disposed on a tapered sleeve 1 according to the present invention to produce a printing component for use in offset printing.

All of the patents described in the Detailed Description of the Invention are expressly incorporated herein by reference thereto for the purpose of providing a suitable printing blanket for use with the tapered sleeve in the printing component of the present invention.

EXAMPLE A printing blanket was prepared in accordance with the invention as described herein. The printing blanket was mounted upon a tapered sleeve according to the teachings of the invention. The blanket construction included, from top to bottom, a nitrile blend printing face layer having a Shore A hardness of 45 and a thickness of 0.014 inches; a cotton blend cord at 50 s/3 count and 62 cords per inch; a nitrile closed cell compressible layer having 50% voids of thermoplastic microspheres and a thickness of 0.011 inches; another layer of cotton blend cord at 30s/3 count and 50 cords per inch; a nitrile base layer having a hardness of 70 Shore A and a thickness of 0.043 inches. The printing blanket was prepared with two primer coats, and combined with a commercially available fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin plastic tapered sleeve available from Strachan Henshaw.

The present invention thus provides a printing component that generally facilitates mounting of the printing blanket/sleeve onto a printing apparatus for offset printing that resists buckling and creasing, is typically reusable, does not substantially slip or rotate during printing, does not easily cut the hands of the operator, deadens sound from

pressurized air during mounting, and permits higher press speeds.

It is to be recognized and understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact configuration as illustrated and described herein. For example, it should be apparent that a variety of suitable printing blankets having a printing face layer, compressible layer, and base layer as described herein would be suitable for use with the tapered sleeve according to the invention. Accordingly, all expedient modifications readily attainable by one of ordinary skill in the art from the disclosure set forth herein are deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the present claims.