The present invention provides a printing plate precursor including a layer which includes a polymer and is provided on a printing surface side of an aluminum support, and a layer which includes particles and is provided on a side opposite to the printing surface side, in which a modulus of elasticity of the particles is 0.1 GPa or more, and in a case where a Bekk smoothness of an outermost layer surface on the side opposite to the printing surface side is denoted by b second, a specific expression (1) is satisfied; a printing plate precursor laminate; a method for making a printing plate; and a printing method.

A highlight microdot mask element includes: at least one imaged region having at least one imaged block and being optically transmissive; at least one opaque island formed by at least one non-imaged block, wherein an arrangement of the plurality of imaged regions and the at least one opaque island defines the highlight microdot print surface pattern; and an opaque void region surrounds the highlight microdot pattern. A flexographic plate highlight microdot printhead includes: at least one elevated region, each elevated region having at least one elevated block forming a print surface; at least one internal recess formed by at least one recessed block, wherein an arrangement of the plurality of elevated regions and the at least one recess define a the highlight microdot print surface pattern of a highlight microdot structure; and an recess void region surrounding the highlight microdot structure.

The present invention provides a lithographic printing plate precursor including at least a heat-sensitive layer and an ink repellent layer disposed on a substrate, the rate of gas generation therefrom being 6.510.sup.5 g/m.sup.3 to 12.510.sup.5 g/m.sup.3 as determined by GC-MS analysis in which the lithographic printing plate precursor is heated in a nitrogen stream at 450 C. for 5 minutes, and also provides a method for producing a lithographic printing plate and a method for producing printed matter therefrom.

A method for making a lithographic printing plate is disclosed including the steps of (i) image-wise exposing a printing plate precursor to heat and/or IR radiation; said precursor including a support and a coating comprising a polymerisable compound, an infrared absorbing compound, a borate compound and a photoinitiator including a trihaloalkyl group; (ii) developing the exposed precursor by treating the coating of the precursor with a gum solution thereby removing the coating from the support at the non-image areas; and/or by mounting the precursor on a plate cylinder of a lithographic printing press and rotating the plate cylinder while feeding dampening liquid and/or ink to the precursor.

A lithographic printing plate precursor is disclosed including a coating comprising a polymerisable compound, an infrared absorbing dye, a photoinitiator including a trihaloalkyl group and a borate compound.

Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor having an image recording layer on a support, and an overcoat layer in this order, in which the overcoat layer includes particles, the overcoat layer is an outermost layer, and an occupation area ratio of the particles in a surface of the overcoat layer is 30% by area or more; and a method of producing a planographic printing plate obtained by using the planographic printing plate precursor.

Embodiments of the present invention involve three-layer printing members having a central layer that is non-conductive yet abalatable at commercially realistic fluence levels. In various embodiments, the central layer is polymeric with a dispersion of nonconductive carbon black particles therein at a loading level sufficient to provide at least partial layer ablatability and water compatibility of the resulting ablation debris.

A positive-working lithographic printing plate precursor includes on a support having a hydrophilic surface or which is provided with a hydrophilic layer, a heat and/or light-sensitive coating including an infrared absorbing agent and a binder including a monomeric unit including an oxalylamide moiety and a monomeric unit including a solubility enhancing group.

Provided is a positive type lithographic printing plate precursor including at least: a support which has a hydrophilic surface or a hydrophilic layer; and an underlayer, an interlayer, and an upper layer on the support in this order, in which the underlayer contains a polymer compound 1 which has at least one structure selected from the group consisting of a urethane bond, an acetal structure, and a urea bond in a main chain, the interlayer contains a polymer compound 2 which has at least one structure selected from the group consisting of a sulfonamide group, an active imide group, and a urea bond in a side chain, the upper layer contains a polymer compound 3 which has a phenolic hydroxy group, and one or more layers among the underlayer, the interlayer, and the upper layer contain an infrared absorbent. Further, provided are a method of producing the positive type lithographic printing plate precursor and a method of preparing a lithographic printing plate using the positive type lithographic printing plate precursor.

A method of imaging printing plates uses a single imaging device having at least one laser delivering, in an imagewise manner, pulsed electromagnetic energy of pulse duration not greater than 110.sup.6 seconds. Such an imaging method permits the imaging of a plurality of types of printing plates irrespective of any sensitised imaging chemistry contained in their coatings.