Exposed printing plates are bent in the area of a bending device to form a leading end and a trailing end. Each exposed and bent printing plate is grasped in the area of the bending device at the leading end or at the trailing end of the printing plate by means of a gripping bar and transferred together with the gripping bar to a transporting device. The transporting device transports the printing plate together with the gripping bar toward a printing press, where the printing plate is removed together with the gripping bar from the transporting device in the area of the printing press. While grasped by the gripping bar, the plate is transferred to a form cylinder of a printing mechanism of the printing press.