The present invention provides a silicone composition for use in a printing plate, the composition including at least: a SiH group-containing compound; a compound represented by the following general formula (I); a compound represented by the following general formula (II); and/or a compound represented by the following general formula (III); wherein Ds in the compound represented by the general formula (I), Gs in the compound represented by the general formula (II) and Js in the compound represented by the general formula (III) each represents an acetoxy group or a dialkyloximino group: A-Si-(D).sub.3 (I) (wherein in the general formula (I), A represents a non-hydrolyzable functional group capable of undergoing a hydrosilylation reaction with a SiH group); E-Si-(G).sub.3 (II) (wherein in the general formula (II), E represents a non-hydrolyzable functional group incapable of undergoing a hydrosilylation reaction with a SiH group); and Si-(J).sub.4 (III). An object of the present invention is to provide a silicone composition for use in a printing plate, for obtaining a planographic printing plate precursor or a planographic printing plate which includes a silicone rubber layer having an excellent adhesion to an underlying layer despite being a fast-curing silicone rubber layer, and which has an excellent ink repellency and scratch resistance.

A method for making a lithographic printing plate by direct-to-plate recording includes the step of image-wise deposition of a hydrophobic coating by microplasma onto a hydrophilic support or a support provided with a hydrophilic layer.

Provided are an offset printing plate, an offset printing apparatus, and an offset printing method, which are capable of printing a high-definition image by waterless offset printing.

The offset printing plate comprises: a cylindrical plate base material; a silicon resin layer formed on the cylindrical plate base material; and a resist pattern part formed on the silicon resin layer, in which the silicon resin layer serves as a non-printing area, and the resist pattern part serves as a printing area. The silicon resin layer is preferably formed on the cylindrical plate base material seamlessly.

Disclosed is a waterless planographic printing plate precursor including at least a substrate, a heat sensitive layer and an ink repellent layer in this order, wherein the substrate has a white color layer or a white color surface, and wherein the heat sensitive layer includes at least (a) an infrared-absorbing dye having a maximum absorption wavelength of 700 to 1,000 nm, (b) a dye that changes color by proton acceptance, and (c) a proton-donating compound. The present invention provides a waterless planographic printing plate precursor capable of obtaining high contrast between the image area and the non-image area by exposure without the need for a special layer.

Negative-working, IR-sensitive dry printing plates utilize an oleophobic topmost layer, a nitrocellulose-based imaging layer ablatable by laser discharge, and a grained metal substrate with no heat-insulating layer intervening between the imaging layer and the substrate.

The present invention provides a planographic printing plate original including, in the order mentioned below: a substrate; and at least a heat sensitive layer and a silicone rubber layer provided on the substrate, wherein the heat sensitive layer contains a polyurethane having a carbonate structure. The present invention also provides a method of producing a planographic printing plate using the same, and a method of producing a printed matter. An object of the present invention is to provide: a planographic printing plate original which has an excellent halftone dot reproducibility and printing durability, and in which the occurrence of scumming can be prevented; a method of producing a planographic printing plate using the same; and a method of producing a printed matter.

Negative-working, IR-sensitive dry printing plates utilize an oleophobic topmost layer, a nitrocellulose-based imaging layer ablatable by laser discharge, and a grained metal substrate with no heat-insulating layer intervening between the imaging layer and the substrate.

Negative-working, IR-sensitive dry printing plates utilize an oleophobic topmost layer, a nitrocellulose-based imaging layer ablatable by laser discharge, and a grained metal substrate with no heat-insulating layer intervening between the imaging layer and the substrate.

The main object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a printing plate with excellent transferability, printing durability, and resolution, a producing method for the printing plate, a producing method for a functional element utilizing the printing plate, and a printing apparatus. An embodiment of the present invention achieves the objective by providing a printing plate comprising: a substrate containing an elastic body swellable in a solvent, a hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer formed on the substrate in a pattern, and a hydrophilic portion that is formed on a surface of the substrate at an opening portion of the hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer and higher in hydrophilicity than the hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer.

A recording medium comprises an oleophilic substrate and, thereover, a topmost oleophobic layer comprising a cured polymeric silicone matrix that consists essentially of the addition-cure reaction product of a vinyl-functional polydialkylsiloxane and a silane cross-linking agent. The vinyl-functional polydialkylsiloxane has a molecular weight ranging from 30,000 to 75,000 or 110,000 to 130,000. If the molecular weight of the vinyl-functional polydialkylsiloxane is within the range of 30,000 to 75,000, the molar ratio of silane groups to vinyl groups is within the range of about 11:1 to about 25:1; and if the molecular weight of the vinyl-functional polydialkylsiloxane is within the range of 110,000 to 130,000, the molar ratio of silane groups to vinyl groups is from about 5:1 to about 27:1. The recording medium may be used as a lithographic printing plate.