A press is operable to form pressed materials such as fiberboard or chipboard. The press includes a press ram and a press platen facing one another to define a pressing region therebetween, and a plurality of rolling rods which support moving bands which draw the article through an entry region of the press and through the pressing region. An entry alignment device for the rolling rods includes first and second resilient pressure holding plates which impose a progressively increasing non-positive clamping force on the rolling rods as the rolling rods pass through the entry region, and first and second pilgrim-step mechanisms, each having a plurality of toothed members which are raised and lowered to periodically engage gaps formed between the rolling rods to impose a positive clamping force on the rods.