An object of the present invention is to provide a waterless lithographic printing plate precursor that sufficiently repels ink, which tends to adhere to non-imaging areas, and maintains its repelling effects, and a printing method using a waterless lithographic printing plate obtained from the waterless lithographic printing plate precursor. The following are provided: a lithographic printing plate precursor having at least a heat sensitive layer and an ink repellent layer, wherein the ink repellent layer contains an ink repelling, the ink repellent liquid having a boiling point of not less than 150° C. at 1 atmospheric pressure; and a method of producing a printed material, comprising the step of transferring an ink containing a photosensitive component in an amount from 10% by mass to 50% by mass to a printing substrate using a lithographic printing plate and then irradiating the printing substrate with ultraviolet light, wherein the lithographic printing plate precursor has at least an ink repellent layer on a substrate, an ink repellent liquid contained in the ink repellent layer has a surface tension of 30 mN/m or less.

An object of the present invention is to provide a waterless lithographic printing plate precursor that sufficiently repels ink, which tends to adhere to non-imaging areas, and maintains its repelling effects, and a printing method using a waterless lithographic printing plate obtained from the waterless lithographic printing plate precursor. The following are provided: a lithographic printing plate precursor having at least a heat sensitive layer and an ink repellent layer, wherein the ink repellent layer contains an ink repelling, the ink repellent liquid having a boiling point of not less than 150° C. at 1 atmospheric pressure; and a method of producing a printed material, comprising the step of transferring an ink containing a photosensitive component in an amount from 10% by mass to 50% by mass to a printing substrate using a lithographic printing plate and then irradiating the printing substrate with ultraviolet light, wherein the lithographic printing plate precursor has at least an ink repellent layer on a substrate, an ink repellent liquid contained in the ink repellent layer has a surface tension of 30 mN/m or less.

A method of manufacturing a patterned stamp for patterning a contoured surface is disclosed. The method comprises providing a pliable stamp layer carrying a pattern of features, forcing the pliable stamp layer onto the contoured surface with said pattern of features facing the contoured surface; applying a fluid support layer over the pliable stamp layer on the contoured surface; solidifying the support layer to form the patterned stamp; and removing the patterned stamp from the contoured surface. A corresponding patterned stamp, imprinting method and imprinted article are also disclosed.

A method of manufacturing a patterned stamp for patterning a contoured surface is disclosed. The method comprises providing a pliable stamp layer carrying a pattern of features, forcing the pliable stamp layer onto the contoured surface with said pattern of features facing the contoured surface; applying a fluid support layer over the pliable stamp layer on the contoured surface; solidifying the support layer to form the patterned stamp; and removing the patterned stamp from the contoured surface. A corresponding patterned stamp, imprinting method and imprinted article are also disclosed.

A method of preparing a lithographic printing plate includes the steps printing a liquid on a lithographic support to form a printing area which corresponds to a raster image, wherein the raster image includes a section which has a tone-value from 90% to 100%, and the jetted liquid droplets for this section, on a corresponding part from the printing area on the lithographic support, are contactless with each other.

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor for furnishing a lithographic printing plate in which adhesion to interleaving paper is prevented, contamination inside a device is prevented, and edge stain does not occur; a method of producing the same; and a printing method using the same. The lithographic printing plate precursor includes: a support; and an image recording layer on the support, in which a region of a surface of the lithographic printing plate precursor at a side of the image recording layer, which is from an end portion of the lithographic printing plate precursor to a portion inside the end portion by 5 mm, contains at least one polymer selected from polyamide, polyurethane, polyurea, polyester and polycarbonate, and has a content of the polymer per unit area which is greater than a content of the polymer per unit area in a region other than the above-described region by an amount of 10 mg/m.sup.2 or greater.

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor for furnishing a lithographic printing plate in which adhesion to interleaving paper is prevented, contamination inside a device is prevented, and edge stain does not occur; a method of producing the same; and a printing method using the same. The lithographic printing plate precursor includes: a support; and an image recording layer on the support, in which a region of a surface of the lithographic printing plate precursor at a side of the image recording layer, which is from an end portion of the lithographic printing plate precursor to a portion inside the end portion by 5 mm, contains at least one polymer selected from polyamide, polyurethane, polyurea, polyester and polycarbonate, and has a content of the polymer per unit area which is greater than a content of the polymer per unit area in a region other than the above-described region by an amount of 10 mg/m.sup.2 or greater.

A halftone raster image suitable for rendering a continuous-tone image includes a plurality of spiral dots. The spiral dots include image pixels arranged as a first arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a first spiral, and non-image pixels arranged as a second arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a second spiral. The spiral dots enable a controlled spreading of the ink within the dot, resulting in a higher image quality, ink saving, and faster drying.

A halftone raster image suitable for rendering a continuous-tone image includes a plurality of spiral dots. The spiral dots include image pixels arranged as a first arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a first spiral, and non-image pixels arranged as a second arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a second spiral. The spiral dots enable a controlled spreading of the ink within the dot, resulting in a higher image quality, ink saving, and faster drying.

Provided is a lithographic printing plate precursor having an aluminum support and an image-recording layer formed on the aluminum support, in which the image-recording layer contains resin particles A that have an ethylenically unsaturated group and a compound B that has an ethylenically unsaturated group other than the resin particles A and has an ethylenically unsaturated bond valence of 1.5 mmol/g or more. Also provided are a method for preparing lithographic printing plate or a lithographic printing method using the lithographic printing plate precursor.