Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor including a support and an image recording layer formed on the support, in which the image recording layer contains a polymer A which includes a constitutional unit A1 having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a weight-average molecular weight of the polymer A is in a range of 2,500 to 35,000, and a content of the constitutional unit A1 in the polymer A is 15 mol % or more, and a method of producing a planographic printing plate using the planographic printing plate precursor.

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor including: a hydrophilized aluminum support, and a water-soluble or water-dispersible negative type image recording layer provided on the aluminum support, in which an arithmetic average height Sa of a surface of an outermost layer on a side opposite to a side where the image recording layer is provided is in a range of 0.3 m to 20 m; a method of producing the lithographic printing plate precursor; a lithographic printing plate precursor laminate formed of the lithographic printing plate precursor; and a lithographic printing method.

Provided are a lithographic printing plate precursor including: a hydrophilized aluminum support, and a water-soluble or water-dispersible negative type image recording layer provided on the aluminum support, in which an arithmetic average height Sa of a surface of an outermost layer on a side opposite to a side where the image recording layer is provided is in a range of 0.3 m to 20 m; a method of producing the lithographic printing plate precursor; a lithographic printing plate precursor laminate formed of the lithographic printing plate precursor; and a lithographic printing method.

Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor having an image recording layer on a support, and an overcoat layer in this order, in which the overcoat layer includes particles, the overcoat layer is an outermost layer, and an occupation area ratio of the particles in a surface of the overcoat layer is 30% by area or more; and a method of producing a planographic printing plate obtained by using the planographic printing plate precursor.

Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor having an image recording layer on a support, and an overcoat layer in this order, in which the overcoat layer includes particles, the overcoat layer is an outermost layer, and an occupation area ratio of the particles in a surface of the overcoat layer is 30% by area or more; and a method of producing a planographic printing plate obtained by using the planographic printing plate precursor.

Lithographic printing plate precursors are prepared with a unique substrate and one or more radiation-sensitive imageable layers. The substrate is prepared by two separate anodizing processes to provide an inner aluminum oxide layer having an average dry thickness (T.sub.i) of 650-3,000 nm and a multiplicity of inner micropores having an average inner micropore diameter (D.sub.i) of 15 nm. A formed outer aluminum oxide layer comprises a multiplicity of outer micropores having an average outer micropore diameter (D.sub.o) of 15-30 nm; an average dry thickness (T.sub.o) of 130-650 nm; and a micropore density (C.sub.o) of 500-3,000 micropores/m.sup.2. The ratio of D.sub.o to D.sub.i is greater than 1.1:1, and D.sub.o in nanometers and the outer aluminum oxide layer micropore density (C.sub.o) in micropores/m.sup.2, are further defined by the outer aluminum oxide layer porosity (P.sub.o) according to the following equation:
0.3P.sub.o0.8
where P.sub.o is 3.14(C.sub.o)(D.sub.o.sup.2)/4,000,000.

Lithographic printing plate precursors are prepared with a unique substrate and one or more radiation-sensitive imageable layers. The substrate is prepared by two separate anodizing processes to provide an inner aluminum oxide layer having an average dry thickness (T.sub.i) of 650-3,000 nm and a multiplicity of inner micropores having an average inner micropore diameter (D.sub.i) of 15 nm. A formed outer aluminum oxide layer comprises a multiplicity of outer micropores having an average outer micropore diameter (D.sub.o) of 15-30 nm; an average dry thickness (T.sub.o) of 130-650 nm; and a micropore density (C.sub.o) of 500-3,000 micropores/m.sup.2. The ratio of D.sub.o to D.sub.i is greater than 1.1:1, and D.sub.o in nanometers and the outer aluminum oxide layer micropore density (C.sub.o) in micropores/m.sup.2, are further defined by the outer aluminum oxide layer porosity (P.sub.o) according to the following equation:
0.3P.sub.o0.8
where P.sub.o is 3.14(C.sub.o)(D.sub.o.sup.2)/4,000,000.

A method for fixing and treating a flexible plate on a drum includes: providing a flexible plate comprising a support layer made of a first material and at least one additional layer made of a second material which is different from the first material, wherein one or more thin film side wings are connected to one or more sides of the flexible plate. The one or more thin film side wings have a thickness which is at least 5 times smaller than the thickness of the flexible plate. The method further includes positioning the flexible plate on the drum such that the lower face of each thin film side wing of the flexible plate covers at least one vacuum suction opening, and performing a treatment on at least one layer of the flexible plate while rotating the drum.

Provided is a lithographic printing plate precursor having: a support; and an image-recording layer as an outermost surface layer on the support, in which the image-recording layer includes a hydrophilic polymer, an ion intensity derived from the hydrophilic polymer has a maximum value I1, the ion intensity being measured by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry in such a manner that cutting is carried out from an image-recording layer surface in a direction of the support by an Ar gas cluster ion beam method, a ratio d0/d1 of a thickness d0 of the image-recording layer to a depth d1 from an outermost layer at which the I1 is obtained is 2.0 or more, and a ratio I1/I0 of the I1 to an ion intensity I0 derived from the hydrophilic polymer at a depth from the outermost layer of the d0 is 1.5 or more.

Provided is a lithographic printing plate precursor having: a support; and an image-recording layer as an outermost surface layer on the support, in which the image-recording layer includes a hydrophilic polymer, an ion intensity derived from the hydrophilic polymer has a maximum value I1, the ion intensity being measured by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry in such a manner that cutting is carried out from an image-recording layer surface in a direction of the support by an Ar gas cluster ion beam method, a ratio d0/d1 of a thickness d0 of the image-recording layer to a depth d1 from an outermost layer at which the I1 is obtained is 2.0 or more, and a ratio I1/I0 of the I1 to an ion intensity I0 derived from the hydrophilic polymer at a depth from the outermost layer of the d0 is 1.5 or more.