A plate exchange apparatus for a printing press includes a plate holding unit, a rack, a pinion, and a driving unit. The plate holding unit is supported on a frame to be vertically movable and holds at least one of a plate discharged from a plate cylinder and a plate to be supplied to the plate cylinder. The rack is fixed on the plate holding unit to extend in a vertical direction. The pinion is mounted on the frame to mesh with the rack. The driving unit is mounted on the frame to rotate the pinion.