Flat bed web press index and registration

Claim 1

A screen printing system capable of repeat printings of multiple color patterns in registry on portions of a continuous web comprising: means to support a continuous web on a flow path; web punching means in said flow path to punch holes in the web for creating index indicia at controlled intervals on the web; a plurality of screen printing units along said flow path, downstream of said web punching means; web advancing means associated with each of said screen printing units, said web advancing means including a web-supporting printing platen shiftable from a first position upstream of said printing unit to a second position aligned with said printing unit, said platen having pressure-differential web-attraction means at is surface to shift the web between said positions; web index register means at each of said screen printing units mounted for movement with said platen, said web index register means including shiftable projection means oriented and reciprocable toward the web holes to interengage the holes; and means to reciprocate said projection means to cause momentary registry of each web portion with each printing unit for accurate printing.