This disclosure is directed to a plate design for use in variable data digital lithographic image forming devices. The disclosed plate design incorporates surface passivated carbon black filler material particles in a fluorosilicone polymer. The disclosed functionalized carbon black material compositions include hydrophobic carbon black particles passivated with polymerized pentafluorostyrene. The disclosed surface passivated carbon black particles have a diameter in a range of 50 nanometers to 1 micron, and enable enhances dispersion in fluorinated polymers, and fine dispersion in solvent. The disclosed surface passivated carbon black particles are particularly usable for improving operational characteristics of fluorosilocone-based reimageable surface layers of imaging members employed in the variable data digital lithographic image forming devices.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a sleeve printing plate capable of forming an image pattern which applies printing on an object to be printed by laser engraving without generating cracks and chippings in a printing plate made of a photosensitive resin. The method for manufacturing a sleeve printing plate by making a printing plate made of a photosensitive resin surround an outer peripheral surface of a circular cylindrical sleeve body and forming an image pattern on the printing plate by laser engraving includes the steps of: washing and cooling the printing plate with water; applying heating treatment to the printing plate at a predetermined temperature; and applying heat radiation treatment to the printing plate after the heating treatment.

An apparatus for generating a relief carrier using a solidifiable material includes a support structure configured for providing a substantially cylindrical support surface. The support surface may be formed by a substrate intended to be part of the relief carrier to be generated or by a cylindrical support not intended to be part of the relief carrier to be generated. A container is provided for the solidifiable material, the container having a wall arranged substantially parallel to an axis of the support structure; a moving means to move the support structure relative to the wall such that subsequent areas of the support surface face the wall during the moving. Moving includes at least a rotation around the axis. An irradiating means sends irradiation, through the wall in a predetermined area between the support surface and the wall.

The present disclosure provides a flexographic printing plate containing at least: a support; and a relief layer sequentially stacked, wherein in dynamic elasticity mapping measurement by AFM on a cross section obtained by cutting 1 m from a surface layer of a face on the side opposite to a face where the relief layer is in contact with the support, the cross section has at least: a region (A1) having a storage modulus of 100 MPa or more and 500 MPa or less at a frequency of 2,000 Hz; and a region (B1) having a storage modulus of 3 MPa or more and 15 MPa or less at a frequency of 2,000 Hz.

A film for flexographic printing plate production, comprising: a base material; and an ablation layer stacked on the base material, wherein the ablation layer contains a resin having a constituent unit (1) represented by the following general formula (1), and the base material has a thickness of 10 m or more and less than 100 m:

##STR00001##

wherein, in the formula (1), R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each independently represent a non-polar group, and R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a non-polar group.

A film for flexographic printing plate production, comprising: a base material; and an ablation layer stacked on the base material, wherein the ablation layer contains a resin having a constituent unit (1) represented by the following general formula (1), and the base material has a thickness of 10 m or more and less than 100 m:

##STR00001##

wherein, in the formula (1), R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each independently represent a non-polar group, and R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a non-polar group.

A printing intaglio plate including a resin layer constituting a plate surface, in which a Shore A hardness of the resin layer is 30 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less, a surface free energy of the resin layer is 10 mN/m or more and 35 mN/m or less, and the resin layer includes a cell on the plate surface and a coefficient of variation in cell volume of the cell, for printing at the same ink concentration, is 0.2 or less.

A printing intaglio plate including a resin layer constituting a plate surface, in which a Shore A hardness of the resin layer is 30 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less, a surface free energy of the resin layer is 10 mN/m or more and 35 mN/m or less, and the resin layer includes a cell on the plate surface and a coefficient of variation in cell volume of the cell, for printing at the same ink concentration, is 0.2 or less.

The present invention provides a laminate for producing a water-developable flexographic printing plate precursor which enables appropriate peeling of a cover film from a photosensitive resin layer even when the laminate has been stored in an environment having large variations in temperature and humidity, provided that the laminate is of the types wherein a functional resin layer is provided separately from the laminate, and wherein the functional resin layer comprises a photosensitive resin layer having strong surface adhesive force. A laminate for producing a water-developable flexographic printing plate precursor, comprising a base film, a photosensitive resin layer, and a cover film stacked in this order, wherein a release layer is provided between the photosensitive resin layer and the cover film and in contact with the photosensitive resin layer and the cover film, and wherein the release layer contains an addition silicone polymer and a curing catalyst.

The present invention provides a laminate for producing a water-developable flexographic printing plate precursor which enables appropriate peeling of a cover film from a photosensitive resin layer even when the laminate has been stored in an environment having large variations in temperature and humidity, provided that the laminate is of the types wherein a functional resin layer is provided separately from the laminate, and wherein the functional resin layer comprises a photosensitive resin layer having strong surface adhesive force. A laminate for producing a water-developable flexographic printing plate precursor, comprising a base film, a photosensitive resin layer, and a cover film stacked in this order, wherein a release layer is provided between the photosensitive resin layer and the cover film and in contact with the photosensitive resin layer and the cover film, and wherein the release layer contains an addition silicone polymer and a curing catalyst.