On-press developable, negative-working lithographic printing plate precursors are used to provide lithographic printing plates. Such precursors are prepared with a substrate and one or more negative-working, infrared radiation-sensitive imagable 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 inner micropores having an average inner micropore diameter (D.sub.i) of <15 nm. A formed outer aluminum oxide layer comprises 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) as:

0.3P.sub.o0.8

wherein P.sub.o is 3.14(C.sub.o)(D.sub.o.sup.2)/4,000,000.

A method for making a lithographic printing plate by direct-to-plate recording includes the step of image-wise deposition of a hydrophobic coating by microplasma onto a hydrophilic support or a support provided with a hydrophilic layer.

A method for writing an imageable material using multiple beams includes preparing subsequent patterns each having Y rows of N pixel locations, said subsequent patterns including first and second patterns; where the first and the second pattern overlap with each other in an overlap area consisting of O columns and Y rows of pixel locations; selecting for each row i of said first pattern Mi1 pixel locations; selecting for each row i of said second pattern Mi2 pixel locations; writing simultaneously, for each row i, said Mi1 selected pixel locations by moving the N beams in a fast scan direction relative to said imageable material; and moving said N beams relative to said imageable material in a slow scan direction over (N-O) pixel locations; writing simultaneously, for each row i, said Mi2 selected pixel locations by moving the N beams in a fast scan direction relative to said imageable material.

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.

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.

An imaging blanket comprises a base comprising an elastic polymer and sulfur. A barrier layer is on the base and a surface layer is on the barrier layer. The surface layer comprises an elastomer and a platinum catalyst.

Negative-working, IR-sensitive dry printing plates utilize an oleophobic topmost layer, a nitrocellulose-based imaging layer ablatable by laser discharge, and a grained metal substrate with no heat-insulating layer intervening between the imaging layer and the substrate.

A planographic printing plate precursor includes: a support; and an image recording layer on the support, and the image recording layer contains a polymer having any group selected from a sulfonamide group, an amide group, an imide group and a carbonate group in a main chain and having a group represented by the following Formula (1):

XRa.sub.n(1)

wherein X represents a single bond or an oxygen atom, Ra represents an alkylene group having 6 to 40 carbon atoms in a case where X represents a single bond and Ra represents an alkylene group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms in a case where X represents an oxygen atom, and n represents an integer of 1 to 90

A photosensitive resin composition includes a polymer compound having a structure represented by Formula 1 as a component A; and an infrared absorbent as a component B. A planographic printing plate precursor includes a support; a polymer compound, which has a structure represented by Formula 1, as a component A on the support; and a recording layer, which contains an infrared absorbent, as a component B on the support. In Formula 1, R.sup.1 represents an (x+2) valent aromatic hydrocarbon ring group, and x represents an integer of 1 to 4.

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