The present invention relates to using soft photopolymer plates in a printing process, and more specifically, to an apparatus and methods of using soft photopolymer materials to decorate an exterior surface of cylindrical metallic containers with high definition graphics and other indicia.

A method of preparing a printing form precursor for printing, or a printed circuit board precursor or a semiconductor precursor, the method comprising the step of applying electromagnetic radiation having a pulse duration of not greater than 110.sup.6 seconds, in an imagewise manner, to an imagable surface of the precursor. The imaging process may cause ablation of the coating of the precursor or permit its development in a developer. In each case the imaging radiation needs not be tuned to imaging chemistry (if any) present in the coating. Alternatively the imaging process may induce a change of hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, or other change of state, of an uncoated substrate.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a flexographic printing plate with which it is possible to prevent plate surface contamination even in the printing for long time. A method for manufacturing a flexographic printing plate, characterized in that, a liquid containing an amino-modified silicone compound is made to contact with a flexographic printing plate containing a latex having gelation degree of not less than 50% by mass. Said latex occupies preferably not less than 30% by mass of the printing resin plate, and amino group equivalent of the amino-modified silicone compound is preferably not less than 500 g/mol.

A method for coating a surface of a moving part of a vehicle may include a coating preparation process of disposing a screen having a plurality of meshes to be distanced from a surface of the moving part of the vehicle to be coated depending on a predetermined spaced distance; and a coating layer deposition process of forming a coating layer having a pattern having a shape in which a plurality of embossings corresponding to the mesh shape is repeated on the surface of the moving part of the vehicle by a vacuum deposition scheme and forming the coating layer so that the adjacent emboss is connected to each other.

A method of forming printing sleeve for mounting on a cylinder in a printing press is provided. The method includes providing a permanent hydrophilic tubular layer on a tubular base; selectively providing a first temporary hydrophobic layer on the hydrophilic tubular layer to form a first imaged printing sleeve, the temporary hydrophobic layer forming a first image; printing, by the first imaged printing sleeve, a first print job including the first image on a substrate; and removing the first temporary hydrophobic layer from the permanent hydrophilic layer such that the permanent hydrophilic layer remains intact on the tubular base. A lithographic printing sleeve for a printing press is also provided.

A method of preparing a printing form precursor for printing, or a printed circuit board precursor or a semiconductor precursor, the method comprising the step of applying electromagnetic radiation having a pulse duration of not greater than 110.sup.6 seconds, in an imagewise manner, to an imagable surface of the precursor. The imaging process may cause ablation of the coating of the precursor or permit its development in a developer. In each case the imaging radiation needs not be tuned to imaging chemistry (if any) present in the coating. Alternatively the imaging process may induce a change of hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, or other change of state, of an uncoated substrate.

A printing plate which can form a graphic pattern having excellent linearity of a side edge along the printing direction and a good planarization property in the case of forming a graphic pattern in which a width direction dimension, a dimension in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction, is small; a printing device including the printing plate; and a method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic electronic component.

A printing plate which can form a graphic pattern having excellent linearity of a side edge along the printing direction and a good planarization property in the case of forming a graphic pattern in which a width direction dimension, a dimension in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction, is small; a printing device including the printing plate; and a method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic electronic component.

A method of forming an insulator film by flexographic printing is provided with which an insulator film is formed on a printing object by using ink as an insulator film material and a flexographic printing plate with halftone dots convexly formed on a convex portion thereof that defines a printing pattern. A halftone dot condition change region with a condition of the halftone dots varied such that an ink retention volume therein is smaller than that in other region on the convex portion is provided on a part of the convex portion corresponding to an edge of the printing pattern.

An ink-based digital printing system suitable for use with hydrophilic and/or aqueous dampening fluids includes an imaging member having an imaging member material that is hydrophilic at the imaging surface.