The present invention provides an on-press development type lithographic printing plate precursor including, in the following order, a support, an image-recording layer, and a protective layer, in which the image-recording layer contains a) a polymerizable compound, b) an infrared absorber, c) a polymerization initiator, and d) a color forming substance precursor, and the protective layer contains an ultraviolet absorber, and a method of preparing a printing plate.

The present invention provides a support for a lithographic printing plate, from which a lithographic printing plate precursor having excellent scratch resistance can be obtained by combining the support with an image recording layer, a lithographic printing plate precursor, and a method of producing a lithographic printing plate. The support for a lithographic printing plate according to the present invention, including an aluminum plate, and an anodized aluminum film disposed on the aluminum plate, in which a plurality of projections are present on a surface of the support for a lithographic printing plate on a side of the anodized film, an average value of equivalent circular diameters of the projections in a cut surface at a position that is 0.5 ?m greater than a position of the projections with an average height is in a range of 3.0 to 10.0 ?m, and a density of the projections with a height of 0.5 ?m or greater from the position of the projections with the average height is in a range of 3,000 to 9,000 pc/mm.sup.2.

The present invention aims at providing a lithographic printing plate precursor, a lithographic printing plate manufacturing method, a printing method and an aluminum support manufacturing method that enable the resulting lithographic printing plate to have a long tiny dot press life. The lithographic printing plate precursor of the invention is a lithographic printing plate precursor having an aluminum support and an image recording layer disposed above the aluminum support. When measured over a 400 m400 m region of a surface of the aluminum support on the image recording layer side using a three-dimensional non-contact roughness tester, pits with a depth from centerline of at least 0.70 m are present at a density of at least 3,000 pits/mm.sup.2; and a surface area ratio S is not less than 35%, the surface area ratio S being determined using an actual area S.sub.x obtained, through three-point approximation, from three-dimensional data acquired by measurement at 512512 points in 25 m square of the surface of the aluminum support on the image recording layer side by means of an atomic force microscope and a geometrically measured area S.sub.o.

Negative-working, radiation-sensitive printing plates include or consist of a hydrophilic first layer or substrate and, thereover, an oleophilic imaging layer that includes an iodonium borate free-radical initiators in accordance herewith have the structure

##STR00001##

where X and Y are alkoxy, p and q range independently from 0 to 5, and p+q5; or p and q may range independently from 0 to 4, with p+q4.

An object of the invention is to provide an aluminum support for a planographic printing plate and a planographic printing plate precursor which can be used to obtain a plate precursor for a planographic printing plate that is excellent in terms of plate wear resistance in the case of being used to produce a planographic printing plate and exhibits excellent on-machine developability. In an aluminum support for a planographic printing plate of the embodiment of the invention, an average value of surface area-increase rates S.sub.SEM (%) is 200% or more, and an average value of pit depths h.sub.SEM (nm) is 400 nm or less.

A color developing composition which develops colors in a high density and does not significantly discolor when aged, a lithographic printing plate precursor which has excellent plate-inspecting properties by means of color development and is capable of maintaining strong color development even when aged after color development, a plate making method for a lithographic printing plate in which the lithographic printing plate precursor is used, and a new compound that can be preferably used as a color developer. The color developing composition of the present invention includes a compound represented by Formula 1. The compound in the present invention is represented by Formula 1. In Formula 1, R.sup.1 represents a group in which an R.sup.1O bond is cleaved by heat or exposure to infrared rays. ##STR00001##

A lithographic printing plate precursor including an image recording layer containing an infrared absorber represented by Formula I, on a support, and a method of producing a lithographic printing plate and a lithographic printing method using the lithographic printing plate precursor.

##STR00001##

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 halogenated polymer and a nitrite and/or nitrate salt.

The present invention provides a lithographic printing plate precursor that enables a lithographic printing plate formed therefrom to have excellent image visibility and a long press life, as well as a lithographic printing plate manufacturing method and a printing method. The lithographic printing plate precursor of the invention is a lithographic printing plate precursor including an aluminum support and an image recording layer, the aluminum support includes an aluminum plate and an anodized film of aluminum formed on the aluminum plate, the anodized film is positioned closer to the image recording layer than the aluminum plate is, the anodized film has micropores extending in a depth direction of the anodized film from a surface of the anodized film on the image recording layer, the micropores have an average diameter of more than 10 nm but not more than 100 nm at the surface of the anodized film, and the surface of the anodized film on the image recording layer side has a lightness L* of 70 to 100 in a L*a*b* color system.

The imaging sensitivity of negative-working lithographic printing plate precursors is improved by removing ozone from the ambient air surrounding the precursors that can be stored near an imaging means such as a platesetter prior to use. Ozone can be removed using a suitable filter containing activated charcoal or other ozone decomposing means, through which ambient air is filtered before and during the imaging process.