According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for sensing the position of an edge of a stock being feed to a printing press is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a light source, utilizing the light source to illuminate with planar radiation a preselected area of the stock, and a preselected area adjacent to the stock, and further providing a retro-reflecting surface on at least a portion of the preselected area adjacent to the stock illuminated by the light source. According to a feature of the present invention, a measuring device is provided and utilized to measure radiation reflected by the retro-reflecting surface.