Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor for furnishing a planographic printing plate in which edge stain does not occur, adhesion to interleaving paper is prevented, and the water width with respect to edge stain at the time of printing is wide; a method of producing the same, and a printing method using the same. The planographic printing plate precursor including: a support; an image recording layer formed on the support; and a water-soluble compound having a molecular weight in a range of 60 to 300 and a solubility of 10 g/L or greater in water at 20 C., in which a content of the compound per unit area in a region on the image recording layer side from an end portion of the planographic printing plate precursor to a portion inside the end portion by 5 mm is greater than a content of the compound per unit area in a second region other than the first region by an amount of 50 mg/m.sup.2 or greater.

Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor for furnishing a planographic printing plate in which edge stain does not occur, adhesion to interleaving paper is prevented, and the water width with respect to edge stain at the time of printing is wide; a method of producing the same, and a printing method using the same. The planographic printing plate precursor including: a support; an image recording layer formed on the support; and a water-soluble compound having a molecular weight in a range of 60 to 300 and a solubility of 10 g/L or greater in water at 20 C., in which a content of the compound per unit area in a region on the image recording layer side from an end portion of the planographic printing plate precursor to a portion inside the end portion by 5 mm is greater than a content of the compound per unit area in a second region other than the first region by an amount of 50 mg/m.sup.2 or greater.

Provided is a planographic printing plate precursor including: a support; and an image recording layer formed on the support, in which the content of fine particles per unit area in a region on a plate surface on the image recording layer side from an end portion of the planographic printing plate precursor to a portion inside the end portion by 5 mm is greater than the content of the fine particles per unit area in a region other than the region by an amount of 10 mg/m.sup.2 or greater, edge stains are not generated therein, and transferring of the image recording layer is prevented even in a case where planographic printing plate precursors are stored in a stacked state. Further, provided are a method of producing the same and a printing method using the same.

Provided is a planographic printing plate precursor including: a support; and an image recording layer formed on the support, in which the content of fine particles per unit area in a region on a plate surface on the image recording layer side from an end portion of the planographic printing plate precursor to a portion inside the end portion by 5 mm is greater than the content of the fine particles per unit area in a region other than the region by an amount of 10 mg/m.sup.2 or greater, edge stains are not generated therein, and transferring of the image recording layer is prevented even in a case where planographic printing plate precursors are stored in a stacked state. Further, provided are a method of producing the same and a printing method using the same.

Provided are a photosensitive resin composition which enables production of a lithographic printing plate precursor having a non-image portion which has good solubility in an alkali aqueous solution and which enables production of a lithographic printing plate having excellent chemical resistance and excellent printing durability, a lithographic printing plate precursor obtained by using the photosensitive resin composition, a method for producing a lithographic printing plate, and a new polymer compound. The photosensitive resin composition of the present invention contains: a polymer compound which has an amine bond or a quaternary ammonium salt bond, and at least one bond selected from the group consisting of a urea bond, a urethane bond, and a carbonate bond in the main chain and has a sulfonamide group or a phenolic hydroxyl group in the main chain and/or the side chain; and an infrared absorbing material.

Provided are a photosensitive resin composition which enables production of a lithographic printing plate precursor having a non-image portion which has good solubility in an alkali aqueous solution and which enables production of a lithographic printing plate having excellent chemical resistance and excellent printing durability, a lithographic printing plate precursor obtained by using the photosensitive resin composition, a method for producing a lithographic printing plate, and a new polymer compound. The photosensitive resin composition of the present invention contains: a polymer compound which has an amine bond or a quaternary ammonium salt bond, and at least one bond selected from the group consisting of a urea bond, a urethane bond, and a carbonate bond in the main chain and has a sulfonamide group or a phenolic hydroxyl group in the main chain and/or the side chain; and an infrared absorbing material.

Dry, ablation-type, nitrocellulose-containing lithographic printing members include dual adjacent imaging layers, both including an absorber and at least one containing a binder (which may include or consist essentially of a melamine resin). The absorber of the nitrocellulose-containing layer is a pigment and this layer contains no absorbing dye, while the absorber of the other imaging layer includes or consists essentially of a dye.

A copolymer includes (i) a plurality of ethylenic moieties A having a structure according to the formula:

##STR00001## wherein R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 independently represent hydrogen, a halogen, an optionally substituted linear, branched, or cyclic alk(en)yl group, or an optionally substituted aromatic or heteroaromatic; (ii) a plurality of acetal moieties B having a structure according to the formula:

##STR00002## wherein L.sup.1 represents a divalent linking group, x=0 or 1, and R.sup.1 represents an optionally substituted aromatic or heteroaromatic group including at least one hydroxyl group; and (iii) a plurality of acetal moieties C and/or moieties D which include a structural moiety including a chromophoric group having its main absorption in the infrared region.

A copolymer includes (i) a plurality of ethylenic moieties A having a structure according to the formula:

##STR00001## wherein R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 independently represent hydrogen, a halogen, an optionally substituted linear, branched, or cyclic alk(en)yl group, or an optionally substituted aromatic or heteroaromatic; (ii) a plurality of acetal moieties B having a structure according to the formula:

##STR00002## wherein L.sup.1 represents a divalent linking group, x=0 or 1, and R.sup.1 represents an optionally substituted aromatic or heteroaromatic group including at least one hydroxyl group; and (iii) a plurality of acetal moieties C and/or moieties D which include a structural moiety including a chromophoric group having its main absorption in the infrared region.

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.