Provides is a seal surface carving apparatus capable of carving a seal surface using only a single attachment irrespective of a size of a stamp. A porous impression die having a seal surface to be carved is set on a dedicated attachment, and is loaded in a seal surface carving apparatus. A fitting projection fit to a bottom portion of the impression die is formed on the attachment, and impression dice having various sizes may be set. In addition, a slit hole extending in a conveyance direction is formed in an impression die setting portion of the attachment. Impression die size determination means of the seal surface carving apparatus determines a size of the impression die by detecting a position at which the impression die blocks the slit hole.

A method for structuring a steel embossing roller surface includes using a short pulse laser including at least one of a femtosecond laser and a picosecond laser. The structuring is macrostructuring with dimensions of over 20 m and depths up to 150 m and more. The short pulse laser has: in single pulse operation, a fluence in the range of 0.5 J/cm.sup.2 to 3.5 J/cm.sup.2, and in burst operation, a mean burst fluence of 0.5 J/cm.sup.2 to 70 J/cm.sup.2 per pulse; a wavelength of 532 nm to 1064 nm; a repetition rate of 1 kHz to 10 MHz; a pulse to pulse spacing on the roller of 10% to 50% of the beam diameter for the femtosecond laser and of 10-25% and 40-50% of the beam width for the picosecond laser; a laser pulse position near the roller surface; and deflection velocities of up to 100 m/s and more.

A flexographic printing plate includes at least one halftone printing area with a plurality of halftone dots. A halftone dot of said plurality of halftone dots is shaped as a relief area. Said relief area includes a central portion and a surrounding portion. Said central portion has a central dot floor with a first pattern of a plurality of pins protruding upwardly from the central dot floor. Said surrounding portion protrudes upwardly from the central dot floor and has a top side including a second pattern of a plurality of recesses. The first pattern and second pattern are such that the surrounding portion can be distinguished from the central portion.

A flexographic printing plate includes at least one halftone printing area with a plurality of halftone dots. A halftone dot of said plurality of halftone dots is shaped as a relief area. Said relief area includes a central portion and a surrounding portion. Said central portion has a central dot floor with a first pattern of a plurality of pins protruding upwardly from the central dot floor. Said surrounding portion protrudes upwardly from the central dot floor and has a top side including a second pattern of a plurality of recesses. The first pattern and second pattern are such that the surrounding portion can be distinguished from the central portion.

The invention pertains to a printing form and a process for preparing a polymeric printing form from a curable composition that includes a multifunctional urethane in a specified reactive group equivalent weight range, and an initiator. The process includes coating the curable composition onto a supporting substrate, such as a print cylinder, to form a layer, curing the layer with heat or by exposure to actinic radiation, and engraving the resulting cured layer to form at least one printing cell in the cured layer. The process prepares novel polymeric printing forms, particularly novel polymeric gravure printing forms, having a cured polymer-based composition layer that is engravable, resistant to solvent inks, and capable of printing gravure-quality images. The present invention shortens the time to prepare gravure printing cylinders and removes the need for and disposal of toxic heavy metals such as copper and chrome associated with conventional gravure print cylinder preparation.

The invention pertains to a printing form and a process for preparing a polymeric printing form from a curable composition that includes a multifunctional urethane in a specified reactive group equivalent weight range, and an initiator. The process includes coating the curable composition onto a supporting substrate, such as a print cylinder, to form a layer, curing the layer with heat or by exposure to actinic radiation, and engraving the resulting cured layer to form at least one printing cell in the cured layer. The process prepares novel polymeric printing forms, particularly novel polymeric gravure printing forms, having a cured polymer-based composition layer that is engravable, resistant to solvent inks, and capable of printing gravure-quality images. The present invention shortens the time to prepare gravure printing cylinders and removes the need for and disposal of toxic heavy metals such as copper and chrome associated with conventional gravure print cylinder preparation.

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.

A digital inkjet flatbed printer having a separate laser processing machine includes a laser processing machine and a digital inkjet printer. The laser processing machine is provided with a laser output module and a laser processing platform. The digital inkjet printer includes an inkjet output module and an inkjet operating platform. The inkjet operating platform is capable of movably ascending from and descending onto the digital inkjet printer. Thus, when the inkjet operating platform is descended, the laser processing machine is movably connected to the inkjet operating platform, such that the laser output module of the laser processing machine and the inkjet output module of the digital inkjet printer are on the laser processing platform of the laser processing machine and sequentially used for laser processing and inkjet printing respectively.

A digital inkjet flatbed printer having a separate laser processing machine includes a laser processing machine and a digital inkjet printer. The laser processing machine is provided with a laser output module and a laser processing platform. The digital inkjet printer includes an inkjet output module and an inkjet operating platform. The inkjet operating platform is capable of movably ascending from and descending onto the digital inkjet printer. Thus, when the inkjet operating platform is descended, the laser processing machine is movably connected to the inkjet operating platform, such that the laser output module of the laser processing machine and the inkjet output module of the digital inkjet printer are on the laser processing platform of the laser processing machine and sequentially used for laser processing and inkjet printing respectively.

Provided is to provide a cylindrical printing plate with which printing of excellent solid density and high halftone dot quality is made possible, and further print medium followability and printing durability are excellent, a cylindrical printing plate precursor, a method for manufacturing a cylindrical printing plate precursor, and a method for manufacturing a cylindrical printing plate. A cylindrical printing plate includes a relief layer having a first hard layer, a soft layer, and a second hard layer in this order from a printing surface side, in which a hardness K1 of the first hard layer is 10 MPa or more and less than 20 MPa, a ratio K1/K2 of the hardness K1 of the first hard layer with respect to a hardness K2 of the soft layer is 2.7 or more, a ratio K3/K2 of a hardness K3 of the second hard layer with respect to the hardness K2 of the soft layer is 1.2 or more, a thickness of the first hard layer is 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less, and a thickness of the soft layer is 0.3 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.