A lithographic printing plate precursor has a substrate comprising a hydrophilic surface and two opposing edges; a radiation-sensitive imagable layer, and optionally, a protective layer disposed over that layer. The precursor has a shear droop at each opposing edge, each shear droop having a shear droop depth Y of 20-200 m and a shear droop width X of 500-2000 m. The precursor also has a hydrophilic coating band extending from each of the two opposing edges inwardly along the hydrophilic surface independently to provide a hydrophilic coating band width A of at least 1.5 times the shear droop width X. This hydrophilic coating band comprises amphoteric surfactant(s) in an amount greater than all other surfactants. Such individual precursors are obtained by cutting a continuous radiation-sensitive web into strips and such cutting creates the shear droop that can result in edge staining if the hydrophilic coating band is not present.

A method of preparing a printing form precursor for printing, or a printed circuit board precursor or a semiconductor precursor, the method comprising the step of applying electromagnetic radiation having a pulse duration of not greater than 110.sup.6 seconds, in an imagewise manner, to an imagable surface of the precursor. The imaging process may cause ablation of the coating of the precursor or permit its development in a developer. In each case the imaging radiation needs not be tuned to imaging chemistry (if any) present in the coating. Alternatively the imaging process may induce a change of hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, or other change of state, of an uncoated substrate.

A method of making a security mesh comprises forming on a conductive substrate an alumina film having through-holes in which metal, e.g., copper, through-wires are formed. First surface wires are formed on one surface of the alumina film and second surface wires are formed on the second, opposite surface of the alumina film in order to connect selected through-wires into a continuous undulating electrical circuit embedded within the alumina film. The security mesh product comprises an alumina film having a continuous undulating electrical circuit comprising copper or other conductive metal extending therethrough. A stacked security mesh comprises two or more of the mesh products being stacked one above the other.

An on-press development type lithographic printing plate precursor, including an image-recording layer on a support, in which the image-recording layer contains an infrared absorber A, a borate compound B, an iodonium compound C, and a color forming substance precursor D, and a surface free energy of an outermost layer on an image-recording layer side is 115 mJ/m.sup.2 or less, and a method of preparing a lithographic printing plate, a lithographic printing method, and a laminate using the on-press development type lithographic printing plate precursor.

This application discloses methods of preparing a work roll for applying a dulled gloss finish on a metal substrate surface. The resulting finish has a fairly uniform glossiness with a slightly matted appearance and with minimal directionality. The work rolls have an Ra value of from 0.2 to 0.4 m and an Rz value of less than 3.0 m. Methods of forming a dulled gloss finish on a metal substrate are also described herein.

An aluminum strip for lithographic printing plate supports, from which printing plate supports can be produced with an improved roughenability and at the same time improved mechanical properties, particularly after a burn-in process, is formed of an aluminum alloy which has the following proportions of alloy constituents in wt. %: 0.05%Mg0.3%, 0.008%Mn0.3%, 0.4%Fe1%, 0.05%Si0.5%, Cu0.04%, Ti0.04%, inevitable impurities individually max. 0.01%, in total max. 0.05% and remainder Al.

Described herein are aluminum alloys, and methods of making the aluminum alloys, that are advantageous for use as lithographic printing plates. The aluminum alloys, and methods of making the aluminum alloys described herein provide lithographic printing plates without surface defects, but with the mechanical and physical properties currently demanded by the printing industry.

A method of preparing a printing form precursor for printing, or a printed circuit board precursor or a semiconductor precursor, the method comprising the step of applying electromagnetic radiation having a pulse duration of not greater than 110.sup.6 seconds, in an imagewise manner, to an imagable surface of the precursor. The imaging process may cause ablation of the coating of the precursor or permit its development in a developer. In each case the imaging radiation needs not be tuned to imaging chemistry (if any) present in the coating. Alternatively the imaging process may induce a change of hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, or other change of state, of an uncoated substrate.

The invention relates to a method for burning in a coating of an aluminium or an aluminium alloy printing plate support, in the case of which the printing plate is heated to a burning in temperature, maintained at this temperature for a predefined duration and subsequently cooled. Deformations can be minimised even further after the burning in process if at least in a temperature range between 150 C. and the burning in temperature, preferably 100 C. and the burning in temperature, the temperature differences of the metal temperature of the printing plate measured along a line in the longitudinal direction of the printing plate during the heating and cooling are maximum 40 C. over a length of 40 cm and the temperature differences of the metal temperature of the printing plate measured along a line perpendicular to the longitudinal direction are less than 10 C. during the heating and cooling.

The invention relates to a litho sheet for electrochemical roughening, consisting of a rolled aluminium alloy, wherein the sheet surface has a topography with a maximum peak height Rp or Sp of not more than 1.4 m, preferably not more than 1.2 m, in particular not more than 1.0 m. The invention also relates to a method which is intended for producing a litho sheet and in the case of which a litho sheet consisting of an aluminium alloy is cold-rolled and in the case of which the litho sheet, following the final cold-rolling pass, is subjected to a degreasing treatment with a pickling step using an aqueous pickling medium.