A finished flexo plate with printing dots and non-printing indicia. The printing dots have an elevation above the plate floor sufficient to transfer ink to a substrate in a printing step, whereas the non-printing indicia are configured for persistent readability relative to the plate floor but have a height relative to the plate floor insufficient to transfer ink to the substrate in the printing step. The non-printing indicia define a pattern of alphanumeric characters, non-text graphics, or a combination thereof, and are disposed on the plate floor in the form of areas of presence and absence of polymer defined by structures formed of microdots, each microdot having an elevation relative to the plate floor lower than a printing height.

The invention relates to a method for producing pictorial relief structures on a layer construction. The method comprises the provision of a layer construction having a substrate layer. After this, at least one fluid containing at least one first reactive component is applied pictorially to the substrate, wherein the pictorial application takes place in the form of a plurality of droplets with a droplet volume of less than 2 l, and wherein the droplets are positioned pictorially. After this, there is an at least partial diffusing of the at least one first reactive component into the substrate layer for a predefined exposure time and/or an at least partial diffusing of at least one second reactive component into the pictorially positioned droplets of fluid for a predefined exposure time, wherein the substrate layer comprises the at least one second reactive component. The created relief is then fixed under the influence of heat and/or radiation via a reaction involving the first reactive component and/or the second reactive component.

Further aspects of the invention relate to a pictorial relief structure produced according to the method and to the use of the pictorial relief structure as a printing form, as a microfluidic component, as a microreactor, as a phoretic cell, as a light-controlling element for color representation, as photonic crystals or as flexible parts of items of clothing.

A gravure offset printing apparatus includes two clamps, a printing roller and a driving device. The two clamps are applicable to clamp individually two opposing ends of a blanket. The printing roller having an axial direction parallel to a first direction is disposed between the two clamps. The blanket wraps part of a radial periphery of the printing roller. The driving device is to drive the two clamps to undergo reverse motions so as to displace the blanket, and the blanket further rotates the printing roller. A gravure module, disposed on a platform of the gravure offset printing apparatus, has a groove for containing an offset ink. While the two clamps pull the blanket to undergo the reverse motions, a surface of the blanket contacts the gravure module so as to adhere the offset ink on the surface of the blanket.

An apparatus for aligning an edge, such as a leading edge of a plate, in particular a printing plate or a printing plate precursor. The apparatus includes a support configured for supporting the plate on a support surface, and to be located upstream of a treatment station. At least two movable elements are arranged to be moved by an edge, such as a leading edge, of the plate. The at least two movable elements include a first and a second movable element; a detection means configured to detect a first and second measure representative for a first and second position of the first and second movable element, respectively, at least one controllable component configured to perform an action on the plate, and a control means configured to control the at least one controllable component based on the first and second measure.

Systems and processes for making a flexo plate, and plates made thereby. Non-printing indicia defined by areas of presence and absence of polymer in the plate floor created using microdots imaged during a LAMS layer imaging step are readable downstream of the washing or other non-cured-polymer-removal step but not to print in the printing step. The non-printing indicia may define a repeating pattern of alphanumeric characters, non-text graphics, or a combination thereof. A difference in growth of plate structures corresponding to different types of microdots may be used for characterizing processing conditions.

This invention discloses digitally printed plate, the manufacturing method and applications thereof, is characterized in that the digitally printed plate is of respectively from top to bottom surface lacquer layer, texture layer, second wear layer, first wear layer, pattern layer, bottom lacquer layer, base layer. The digitally printed plated has various patterns, with sufficient materials, printing unrepeatable stereoscopic pattern is possible, so it can satisfy customers' personalized customization requirements, without wasting abundant time or cost, and with process reduced, production efficiency is improved, enabling order manufacturing order insert and sample making at any time.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flexographic printing plate precursor in which reproducibility of microcells is improved in a case of being made into a flexographic printing plate, and durability of independent dots is improved, and a manufacturing method of a flexographic printing plate using the flexographic printing plate precursor. The flexographic printing plate precursor of the present invention includes, in the following order, an infrared ablation layer, a photosensitive resin layer, and a support, in which a content of a photopolymerization initiator contained in a surface layer region of the photosensitive resin layer from a surface on a side in contact with the infrared ablation layer up to 100 ?m in a thickness direction is larger than a content of a photopolymerization initiator contained in a remainder region of the photosensitive resin layer, which is closer to the support side than the surface layer region.

There are provided a washout processor and a washing method that prevent solid contents from being attached to a developed flexographic printing plate precursor again. A washout processor that develops an imagewise exposed flexographic printing plate precursor using a washing solution includes a developing tank that is filled with the washing solution, a development unit that performs the development by removing a non-exposed portion of the flexographic printing plate precursor using the washing solution in the developing tank, and a flow creation unit that flows the washing solution in at least one region of a first region where the flexographic printing plate precursor is carried into the washing solution of the developing tank or a second region where the flexographic printing plate precursor is carried out from the washing solution of the developing tank, in an intersecting direction to cross a width of the flexographic printing plate precursor with respect to a traveling direction of the flexographic printing plate precursor.

A method for reconstructing a relief print master with a three-dimensional printer includes introducing cavities inside the relief print master in order to control its compressibility.

A method for reconstructing a relief print master with a three-dimensional printer includes introducing cavities inside the relief print master in order to control its compressibility.