Provided is to provide a cylindrical printing plate with which printing of excellent solid density and high halftone dot quality is made possible, and further print medium followability and printing durability are excellent, a cylindrical printing plate precursor, a method for manufacturing a cylindrical printing plate precursor, and a method for manufacturing a cylindrical printing plate. A cylindrical printing plate includes a relief layer having a first hard layer, a soft layer, and a second hard layer in this order from a printing surface side, in which a hardness K1 of the first hard layer is 10 MPa or more and less than 20 MPa, a ratio K1/K2 of the hardness K1 of the first hard layer with respect to a hardness K2 of the soft layer is 2.7 or more, a ratio K3/K2 of a hardness K3 of the second hard layer with respect to the hardness K2 of the soft layer is 1.2 or more, a thickness of the first hard layer is 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less, and a thickness of the soft layer is 0.3 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

A tablet printing apparatus first applies either ultraviolet rays or infrared rays to surfaces of tablets that are being conveyed. The ultraviolet or infrared rays are applied to at least a contour portion of a target area where a print image is to be formed. In the case of applying ultraviolet rays, the surface of the contour portion is roughened, and the angle of contact with ink is reduced. In the case of applying infrared rays, the contour portion is etched into a recessed shape. Thereafter, ink is ejected inside the contour portion. This configuration suppresses the spread of the ejected ink to the outside of the target area. As a result, the print image has a well-defined contour.

An apparatus for treating a relief plate precursor, such as a printing plate precursor, preferably with a liquid. The apparatus includes a transport system with at least one, preferably at least two transport bars; a plate coupling station configured for coupling a relief plate precursor to the transport bar; a treatment compartment configured for treating the relief plate precursor; and a plate decoupling station configured for decoupling the treated relief plate precursor from the transport bar. The transport system is configured to automatically move each transport bar, after being coupled to a relief plate precursor in the plate coupling station, from the plate coupling station through the treatment station to the plate decoupling station, and, after being decoupled from a treated relief plate precursor, from the plate decoupling station back to the plate coupling station, such that the transport bar moves in a closed loop through the apparatus.

An apparatus for treating a relief plate precursor, such as a printing plate precursor, preferably with a liquid. The apparatus includes a transport system with at least one, preferably at least two transport bars; a plate coupling station configured for coupling a relief plate precursor to the transport bar; a treatment compartment configured for treating the relief plate precursor; and a plate decoupling station configured for decoupling the treated relief plate precursor from the transport bar. The transport system is configured to automatically move each transport bar, after being coupled to a relief plate precursor in the plate coupling station, from the plate coupling station through the treatment station to the plate decoupling station, and, after being decoupled from a treated relief plate precursor, from the plate decoupling station back to the plate coupling station, such that the transport bar moves in a closed loop through the apparatus.

The present invention provides a photosensitive resin composition for a relief printing original plate which can achieve both of a printing reproducibility of gradation of a highlight part and a printing durability, and can further achieve a low plate surface tackiness. A photosensitive resin composition for a relief printing original plate containing water-soluble or water-dispersible polyamide, a photopolymerizable unsaturated compound and a photopolymerization initiator as essential ingredients, characterized in that a total of a content of an alicyclic structural unit obtained from diamine and a content of an alicyclic structural unit obtained from dicarboxylic acid in the polyamide is 30 to 90 molar %, and the content of the alicyclic structural unit obtained from dicarboxylic acid in the polyamide is 20 molar % or more.

The present invention provides a photosensitive resin composition for a relief printing original plate which can achieve both of a printing reproducibility of gradation of a highlight part and a printing durability, and can further achieve a low plate surface tackiness. A photosensitive resin composition for a relief printing original plate containing water-soluble or water-dispersible polyamide, a photopolymerizable unsaturated compound and a photopolymerization initiator as essential ingredients, characterized in that a total of a content of an alicyclic structural unit obtained from diamine and a content of an alicyclic structural unit obtained from dicarboxylic acid in the polyamide is 30 to 90 molar %, and the content of the alicyclic structural unit obtained from dicarboxylic acid in the polyamide is 20 molar % or more.

The invention pertains to a printing form and a process for preparing a polymeric printing form from a curable composition that includes a multifunctional urethane in a specified reactive group equivalent weight range, and an initiator. The process includes coating the curable composition onto a supporting substrate, such as a print cylinder, to form a layer, curing the layer with heat or by exposure to actinic radiation, and engraving the resulting cured layer to form at least one printing cell in the cured layer. The process prepares novel polymeric printing forms, particularly novel polymeric gravure printing forms, having a cured polymer-based composition layer that is engravable, resistant to solvent inks, and capable of printing gravure-quality images. The present invention shortens the time to prepare gravure printing cylinders and removes the need for and disposal of toxic heavy metals such as copper and chrome associated with conventional gravure print cylinder preparation.

The invention pertains to a printing form and a process for preparing a polymeric printing form from a curable composition that includes a multifunctional urethane in a specified reactive group equivalent weight range, and an initiator. The process includes coating the curable composition onto a supporting substrate, such as a print cylinder, to form a layer, curing the layer with heat or by exposure to actinic radiation, and engraving the resulting cured layer to form at least one printing cell in the cured layer. The process prepares novel polymeric printing forms, particularly novel polymeric gravure printing forms, having a cured polymer-based composition layer that is engravable, resistant to solvent inks, and capable of printing gravure-quality images. The present invention shortens the time to prepare gravure printing cylinders and removes the need for and disposal of toxic heavy metals such as copper and chrome associated with conventional gravure print cylinder preparation.

Photopolymerizable flexographic printing elements which contain cyclohexanepolycarboxylic esters as plasticizers and also their use for producing flexographic printing forms for printing with UV inks, in particular for UV narrow web printing.

Photopolymerizable flexographic printing elements which contain cyclohexanepolycarboxylic esters as plasticizers and also their use for producing flexographic printing forms for printing with UV inks, in particular for UV narrow web printing.