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.

Lithographic printing plate precursors are prepared with a unique aluminum-containing substrate and one or more radiation-sensitive imageable layers. The aluminum-containing substrate is prepared by three separate and sequential anodizing processes to provide an inner aluminum oxide layer having an average dry thickness (T.sub.i) of 500-1,500 nm and a multiplicity of inner pores having an average inner pore diameter (D.sub.i) larger than 0 and <15 nm. A formed middle aluminum oxide layer has a dry thickness (T.sub.m) of 60-300 nm and a multiplicity of middle pores of average middle pore diameter (D.sub.m) of 15-60 nm, arranged over the inner aluminum oxide layer. A formed outer aluminum oxide layer comprises a multiplicity of outer pores having an average outer pore diameter (D.sub.o) of 5-35 nm and an average dry thickness (T.sub.o) of 30-150 nm, arranged over the middle aluminum oxide layer. D.sub.m is larger than D.sub.o that is larger than D.sub.i.

Lithographic printing plate precursors are prepared with a unique aluminum-containing substrate and one or more radiation-sensitive imageable layers. The aluminum-containing substrate is prepared by three separate and sequential anodizing processes to provide an inner aluminum oxide layer having an average dry thickness (T.sub.i) of 500-1,500 nm and a multiplicity of inner pores having an average inner pore diameter (D.sub.i) larger than 0 and <15 nm. A formed middle aluminum oxide layer has a dry thickness (T.sub.m) of 60-300 nm and a multiplicity of middle pores of average middle pore diameter (D.sub.m) of 15-60 nm, arranged over the inner aluminum oxide layer. A formed outer aluminum oxide layer comprises a multiplicity of outer pores having an average outer pore diameter (D.sub.o) of 5-35 nm and an average dry thickness (T.sub.o) of 30-150 nm, arranged over the middle aluminum oxide layer. D.sub.m is larger than D.sub.o that is larger than D.sub.i.

The invention relates to an aluminium alloy for the production of lithographic printing plate supports and also to an aluminium strip produced from the aluminium alloy, a process for the production of the aluminium strip and also its use for the production of lithographic printing plate supports. The object of providing an aluminium alloy as well as an aluminium strip from an aluminium alloy that permits the production of printing plate supports having improved bending-strength fatigue transverse to the rolling direction without adversely affecting the tensile strength values before and after the annealing process and while preserving the roughening properties, is achieved by the fact that the aluminium alloy contains the following alloy components in weight percent: 0.4%<Fe1.0%, 0.3%<Mg1.0%, 0.05%Si0.25%, Mn0.25%, Cu0.04%, Ti<0.1%, the remainder being Al and unavoidable impurities, individually at most 0.05% and totaling at most 0.05%.

Disclosed is a heat-sensitive processless planographic printing plate material containing a thermosensitive protection layer. The planographic printing plate material sequentially comprises a supporting body, a hydrophilic layer, a heat-sensitive layer and a thermosensitive protection layer from the bottom up. The thermosensitive protection layer therein can not only isolate oxygen and protect the heat-sensitive layer from oxygen inhibition, but can also sense heat and allow a polymerization reaction to take place. Thus the binding force between same and the next layer is improved, so that the precision of printing plate images is high, the development performance is good, and the pressrun is high.

IR-sensitive lithographic printing plate precursors provide a high contrast and stable printout image using an IR radiation-sensitive composition. This composition includes: a free radically polymerizable component, an IR absorber, an initiator composition, color-forming compound(s) such as a specific leuco dye, and compound(s) represented by the following Structure (P):

##STR00001##

wherein X is O, S, NH, or CH.sub.2, Y is >N or >CH, R.sup.1 is hydrogen or an alkyl, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are independently halo, thioalkyl, thiophenyl, alkoxy, phenoxy, alkyl, phenyl, thioacetyl, or acetyl, and m and n are independently 0 or an integer of 1 to 4. The printout image exhibits a color contrast between the exposed and non-exposed regions of a E greater than 8. A E of at least 5 is maintained between the exposed and the non-exposed regions with exposure to white light for at least one hour. These precursors, when IR-exposed, can be developed on-press.

Lithographic printing plate precursors are prepared with a unique substrate using two separate anodizing processes to provide an inner aluminum oxide layer of average dry thickness (T.sub.i) of 650-3,000 nm and a multiplicity of inner micropores of average inner micropore diameter (D.sub.i) of 15 nm. An outer aluminum oxide layer comprises a multiplicity of outer micropores of average outer micropore diameter (D.sub.o) of 15-30 nm; 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. A hydrophilic layer disposed on the outer aluminum oxide layer has a copolymer composed of (a) recurring units and (b) recurring units, wherein the (a) recurring units have an amide group, and the (b) recurring units have at least a phosphonic acid, a phosphoric acid, a salt of a phosphonic acid, or a salt of a phosphoric acid group.

Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor and a method of producing a planographic printing plate precursor, in which an image forming region during printing on newspaper page is ensured and edge stains are eliminated. Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor (10b) including an aluminum support (12) which has an anodized film (14), and an image recording layer (16) on the aluminum support (12), in which an end portion of the planographic printing plate precursor (10b) has a sagging shape having a sagging amount (X) of 25 m to 150 m and a sagging width (Y) of 70 m to 300 m, the image recording layer (16) contains an infrared absorbing agent, and a part or an entire side surface of two sides of the aluminum support (12), the two sides having the sagging shape and opposing each other contains an ink repellent agent (44); and a method of producing the planographic printing plate precursor (10b).

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.

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 where the image recording layer is provided is in a range of 0.3 m to 20 m or in which Expression (1) and Expression (2) are satisfied in a case where a Bekk smoothness of a surface of an outermost layer on a side where the image recording layer is provided is set as a seconds and a Bekk smoothness of a surface of an outermost layer on a side opposite to a side where the image recording layer is provided is set as b seconds; a method of producing the same; a lithographic printing plate precursor laminate formed of the lithographic printing plate precursor; a plate-making method for a lithographic printing plate; and a lithographic printing method.

a1000, b1000(1)

1/a+1/b0.002(2)