A lithographic printing plate precursor has an infrared radiation-sensitive image-recording layer containing an IR absorber, and an ozone-blocking material of 1500 or less molecular weight and has structure (I), (II), or (III):

##STR00001##

wherein R is a hydrocarbon having 14-30 carbon atoms; m is 1 or 2; n is 1-6; the sum of m and n is >2 and <8; and A is a multivalent organic moiety free of R and OH groups and has a valence m+n;

##STR00002##

wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are alkyl groups of 14-22 carbon atoms, and o is 1-3;

R.sub.3C(═O)NR.sub.4R.sub.5   (III)

wherein R.sub.3 is an alkenyl with a C═C bond within a carbon-carbon chain of 16-30 carbons, and R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are hydrogen or unsubstituted alkyls of 1-4 carbon atoms. Such ozone-blocking materials can be used to protect infrared radiation-sensitive dyes that may be degraded by ozone and thus improve imaging sensitivity.

Provided is a manufacturing method of a flexographic printing plate, which achieves both a depth of a concave portion and reproducibility of independent dots by eliminating an insufficient depth of the concave portion and increasing a cured region around the independent dots. The manufacturing method of a flexographic printing plate includes an exposure step of irradiating, with an energy ray, a flexographic printing plate precursor which includes, in the following order, at least a support, a photosensitive layer, and a mask portion on which an image is formed, through the mask portion to expose the photosensitive layer, and a development step of removing a non-exposed portion of the photosensitive layer. The exposure step includes a step of radiating the energy ray in a state in which, from the photosensitive layer side, the mask portion and a film-like optical element are present in this order between an energy source and the photosensitive layer. The film-like optical element is an element which converges the incident energy ray to enhance directivity and emits the energy ray to the mask portion.

The platemaking apparatus according to the present invention forms a pattern on an ink film-forming press plate that has a surface layer containing a stimulus-responsive compound whose physical property can reversibly change in response to an external stimulus. The platemaking apparatus includes: a first stimulator that applies, to a surface of the press plate, a first stimulus that changes the physical property of the surface from a first physical property to a second physical property to form the pattern, on the basis of image data; a second stimulator that applies, to the surface of the press plate, a second stimulus that changes the physical property of the surface from the second physical property to the first physical property, to erase the pattern; and a cleaning unit that removes an ink remained on the surface of the press plate.

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.

IR-sensitive lithographic printing plate precursors provide a stable print-out image using a unique IR radiation-sensitive composition. This IR radiation-sensitive composition includes: a) free radically polymerizable component; an b) IR radiation absorber; c) an initiator composition; a d) borate compound; and a e) compound capable of forming a colored boronic complex during or after exposure of the infrared radiation-sensitive image-recording layer to infrared radiation. The resulting print-out image exhibits an excellent color contrast between the exposed and non-exposed regions. After IR imaging, these precursors can be developed off-press or on-press.

Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor including a support, and an image recording layer in this order, in which the image recording layer contains polymer particles containing an addition polymerization type resin, and the addition polymerization type resin contains a polymerizable group and a hydrophilic structure; a method of producing a planographic printing plate using the planographic printing plate precursor; a planographic printing method using the planographic printing plate precursor; and a curable composition containing the polymer particles.

Lithographic printing plate precursors are prepared with a unique aluminum-containing substrate and one or more radiation-sensitive imageable layers. The aluminum-containing substrate is prepared by three separate and sequential anodizing processes to provide an inner aluminum oxide layer having an average dry thickness (T.sub.i) of 500-1,500 nm and a multiplicity of inner pores having an average inner pore diameter (D.sub.i) larger than 0 and <15 nm. A formed middle aluminum oxide layer has a dry thickness (T.sub.m) of 60-300 nm and a multiplicity of middle pores of average middle pore diameter (D.sub.m) of 15-60 nm, arranged over the inner aluminum oxide layer. A formed outer aluminum oxide layer comprises a multiplicity of outer pores having an average outer pore diameter (D.sub.o) of 5-35 nm and an average dry thickness (T.sub.o) of 30-150 nm, arranged over the middle aluminum oxide layer. D.sub.m is larger than D.sub.o that is larger than D.sub.i.

Lithographic printing plate precursors are prepared with a unique aluminum-containing substrate and one or more radiation-sensitive imageable layers. The aluminum-containing substrate is prepared by three separate and sequential anodizing processes to provide an inner aluminum oxide layer having an average dry thickness (T.sub.i) of 500-1,500 nm and a multiplicity of inner pores having an average inner pore diameter (D.sub.i) larger than 0 and <15 nm. A formed middle aluminum oxide layer has a dry thickness (T.sub.m) of 60-300 nm and a multiplicity of middle pores of average middle pore diameter (D.sub.m) of 15-60 nm, arranged over the inner aluminum oxide layer. A formed outer aluminum oxide layer comprises a multiplicity of outer pores having an average outer pore diameter (D.sub.o) of 5-35 nm and an average dry thickness (T.sub.o) of 30-150 nm, arranged over the middle aluminum oxide layer. D.sub.m is larger than D.sub.o that is larger than D.sub.i.

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.

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.