This application provides an alignment film transfer printing plate including a substrate, a first dot arranged on the substrate, and a plurality of second dots arranged around the first dot. A height of each of the second dots in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the substrate is less than or equal to a height of the first dot in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, a blocking portion is formed on an end of the first dot away from the substrate, and an area of an end surface of each of the second dots away from the substrate is less than an area of an end surface of the blocking portion away from the substrate.

A method of reproducing a continuous-tone image with a printing press comprises the step of making a printing plate having a halftone raster image comprising regularly tiled halftone cells which consist of a grid of image pixels and non-image pixels; the halftone cells are obtained by digital halftoning with a single threshold array and at least a portion of the halftone cells in the raster image comprise multiple image clusters, image clusters being defined as mutually separated groups of more than 4 adjacent image pixels; the image clusters allow to obtain a printed image of the same image density with less ink than with conventional screens wherein the image pixels are grouped into a single cluster.

A platen having a first dimension and a second dimension. The first dimension is perpendicular to the second dimension. The platen has two opposing long edges along the first dimension and two opposing short edges along the second dimension. The platen has a higher stiffness in the direction of the second dimension than in the direction of the first dimension. Each of the two opposing long edges has at least three biased attaching members spaced therealong to bias the platen towards a structural support.

A platen having a first dimension and a second dimension. The first dimension is perpendicular to the second dimension. The platen has two opposing long edges along the first dimension and two opposing short edges along the second dimension. The platen has a higher stiffness in the direction of the second dimension than in the direction of the first dimension. Each of the two opposing long edges has at least three biased attaching members spaced therealong to bias the platen towards a structural support.

This application provides an alignment film transfer printing plate including a substrate, a first dot arranged on the substrate, and a plurality of second dots arranged around the first dot. A height of each of the second dots in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the substrate is less than or equal to a height of the first dot in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, a blocking portion is formed on an end of the first dot away from the substrate, and an area of an end surface of each of the second dots away from the substrate is less than an area of an end surface of the blocking portion away from the substrate.

A halftone raster image, suitable for rendering a continuous-tone image, which comprises a plurality of dots, arranged according a screen ruling and screen angle. Said dots comprise (i) image pixels arranged as a first arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a first spiral, and (ii) non-image pixels arranged as a second arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a second spiral. Small displacements of the feed point of said dots away from the theoretical centre of a halftone dot, defined by said screen ruling and screen angle, enable a higher image quality and less patterns in said halftone raster image.

A halftone raster image, suitable for rendering a continuous-tone image, which comprises a plurality of dots, arranged according a screen ruling and screen angle. Said dots comprise (i) image pixels arranged as a first arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a first spiral, and (ii) non-image pixels arranged as a second arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a second spiral. Small displacements of the feed point of said dots away from the theoretical centre of a halftone dot, defined by said screen ruling and screen angle, enable a higher image quality and less patterns in said halftone raster image.

A gravure printing plate includes a convex portion and two or more polygonal cells partitioned by the convex portion, and including at least one protruding portion disposed at an edge of each of the at least two polygonal cells and extending toward a central portion of the corresponding cell therefrom.

An article with an operative liquid-bearing surface is adapted for transferring that liquid to a substrate material or printing plate. The entire operative surface of the article is provided with a pattern of microscopic discrete depressions which are usually laser-engraved into the surface so that a substantially continuous wall structure remains which surrounds and defines the depressions. In particular the depressions are of a cross-sectional shape which is symmetrical about one or both of a lateral and a medial axis perpendicular thereto, and arranged adjacent one another in offset fashion, and above and below one another so that the pattern thus formed is substantially uniform and repeating. Each of at least one of the pairs of lateral or medial sidewalls of any one depression are contoured, the contour of one of the pair being generally the mirror image of the other.

A printing plate for monotype prints includes a viscoelastic gel composition having a viscoelastic polymer selected from a hydrogenated poly-isoprene/butadiene polymer, poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-butadiene).sub.n, poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), poly(styrene-isoprene).sub.n, poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene).sub.n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene).sub.n, poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene), poly(styrene-ethylene-propylene).sub.n, poly(styrene- ethylene-butylene).sub.n, polystyrene, polybutylene, poly(ethylene-propylene), poly(ethylene-butylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane and silicone, and a combination thereof, and a plasticizing oil. The viscoelastic gel composition has a smooth surface and is formed as a sheet and shaped for use as a printing plate. A method for using the elastomeric gel printing plates of the present invention is also provided.