A press with gripper rails for grasping and relocating workpieces onto a work table, the gripper rails being movable in a horizontal plane and vertically by a transfer device. The gripper rails are connected to the respective parts of the transfer device by gripper rail couplings, a locking mechanism with a tie rod being provided, which locks or frees the gripper rail coupling. To actuate the locking mechanism, an actuating element is provided which displaces the tie rod between a holding position and a releasing position and which can be actuated by the gripper rail coupling being lowered or raised. Furthermore, the locking mechanism has a spring element which holds the tie rod in the holding position. Finally, the locking mechanism has a latching mechanism with a detent, which fixes the tie rod in the releasing position and which is freed automatically when the gripper rail coupling is being coupled.