A device for conveying printing substrates includes a frame, a plurality of spaced-apart and axially parallel cylindrical rollers supported on the frame, one of the rollers being a rotatably drivable drive roller, and the other rollers being freely rotatably supported, and an endless conveyor belt wrapped around all of the rollers and in operation being in frictional contact with the drive roller, two of the rollers being relatively closely adjacent one another, being spaced apart from one another a distance selected from the group thereof consisting of less than and not considerably greater than the diameter of the drive roller; the drive roller being movable in a direction towards and away from the two spaced apart rollers; and including a retaining device for firmly retaining the drive roller in an operating position wherein an outer side of the conveyor belt rests on the drive roller, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the drive roller over an angle on the order of magnitude of 180°, while the other rollers are in engagement with an inner side of the conveyor belt; and a free space provided on one side of the conveying device for retracting the conveyor belt in axial direction away from the rollers.