A color-forming composition is useful to provide a printout image in an imaged lithographic printing plate precursor. This color-forming composition includes (a) an acid generator; (b) a tetraaryl borate; (c) an acid-sensitive dye precursor; and (d) a compound having the following Structure (I):

##STR00001##

wherein n is 1, 2, 3, or 4; R independently represents a monovalent substituent or the atoms necessary to form a fused ring if n is at least 2, and at least one R substituent is an electron-withdrawing group. The color-forming composition is included within a negative-working radiation-sensitive imageable layer along with a free radically polymerizable component and a radiation absorber such as an infrared radiation absorber.

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor having an image-recording layer on a hydrophilic support, in which the image-recording layer includes a polymer particle including an addition polymerization-type resin having a hydrophilic structure and a crosslinking structure, a method for producing a lithographic printing plate in which the lithographic printing plate precursor is used, a polymer particle including an addition polymerization-type resin having a hydrophilic structure and a crosslinking structure, and a composition including the polymer particle.

A lithographic printing plate precursor is disclosed including a support and a coating comprising (i) a photopolymerisable layer including a polymerisable compound and a photoinitiator, and a toplayer provided above the photopolymerisable layer;characterized in that the toplayer includes a hydrophobic binder, and hydrophobic discrete particles having a melting and/or softening temperature above 50? C.

Lithographic printing plate precursors are prepared with a unique aluminum-containing substrate prepared using two separate anodizing processes to provide an inner aluminum oxide layer of average dry thickness (T.sub.i) of 300-3,000 nm and a multiplicity of inner micropores of average inner micropore diameter (D.sub.i) of ?100 nm. An outer aluminum oxide layer is also provided to have a multiplicity of outer micropores of average outer micropore diameter (D.sub.o) of 15-30 nm and a dry thickness (T.sub.o) of 30-650 nm. A hydrophilic layer disposed on the outer aluminum oxide layer at 0.0002-0.1 g/m.sup.2 has at least a hydrophilic copolymer composed of (a) recurring units having an amide group and (b) recurring units comprising an OM group directly connected to a phosphorus atom, wherein M represents a hydrogen, sodium, potassium, or aluminum atom.

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor including an aluminum support, and an image recording layer on the aluminum support, in which the aluminum support includes an anodized film on a surface of the image recording layer side, the anodized film has micropores extending in a depth direction from the surface of the anodized film on the image recording layer side, an average pore diameter of the micropores in the surface of the anodized film is greater than 0 m and 0.03 m or less, an average maximum diameter of the micropores inside the anodized film is in a range of 0.04 m to 0.30 m, an average value A nm of thicknesses of surface opening portions and an average value B nm of thicknesses of internal maximum diameter portions satisfy a relationship of 2.5B/A28.0, and the image recording layer contains an acid color former; a method of preparing a lithographic printing plate using the lithographic printing plate precursor; and a lithographic printing method.

Disclosed is a heat-sensitive processless planographic printing plate material containing a thermosensitive protection layer. The planographic printing plate material sequentially comprises a supporting body, a hydrophilic layer, a heat-sensitive layer and a thermosensitive protection layer from the bottom up. The thermosensitive protection layer therein can not only isolate oxygen and protect the heat-sensitive layer from oxygen inhibition, but can also sense heat and allow a polymerization reaction to take place. Thus the binding force between same and the next layer is improved, so that the precision of printing plate images is high, the development performance is good, and the pressrun is high.

A laminated lithographic printing plate comprising an aluminum layer having a first side and a second side, an aluminum oxide layer coating the first side aluminum layer, optionally a second aluminum oxide layer coating the second side of the aluminum layer, an image forming layer coating the first aluminum oxide layer, an adhesive layer adhering to the second side of the aluminum layer or to said second aluminum oxide layer when second aluminum oxide layer is present, and a base layer coating the adhesive layer is provided.

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor including an aluminum support, and an image recording layer on the aluminum support, in which the aluminum support includes an anodized film on a surface of the image recording layer side, the anodized film has micropores extending in a depth direction from the surface of the anodized film on the image recording layer side, an average pore diameter of the micropores in the surface of the anodized film is greater than 0 m and 0.03 m or less, an average maximum diameter of the micropores inside the anodized film is in a range of 0.04 m to 0.30 m, an average value A nm of thicknesses of surface opening portions and an average value B nm of thicknesses of internal maximum diameter portions satisfy a relationship of 2.5B/A28.0, and the image recording layer contains an acid color former; a method of preparing a lithographic printing plate using the lithographic printing plate precursor; and a lithographic printing method.

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor including a hydrophilized aluminum support, and a water-soluble or water-dispersible negative type image recording layer provided on the aluminum support, in which an arithmetic average height Sa of a surface of an outermost layer on a side where the image recording layer is provided is in a range of 0.3 m to 20 m or in which Expression (1) and Expression (2) are satisfied in a case where a Bekk smoothness of a surface of an outermost layer on a side where the image recording layer is provided is set as a seconds and a Bekk smoothness of a surface of an outermost layer on a side opposite to a side where the image recording layer is provided is set as b seconds; a method of producing the same; a lithographic printing plate precursor laminate formed of the lithographic printing plate precursor; a plate-making method for a lithographic printing plate; and a lithographic printing method.

a1000,b1000(1)

1/a+1/b0.002(2)

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor including: a hydrophilized aluminum support, and a water-soluble or water-dispersible negative type image recording layer provided on the aluminum support, in which an arithmetic average height Sa of a surface of an outermost layer on a side opposite to a side where the image recording layer is provided is in a range of 0.3 m to 20 m; a method of producing the lithographic printing plate precursor; a lithographic printing plate precursor laminate formed of the lithographic printing plate precursor; and a lithographic printing method.