A marking element that enables to suppress counterfeiting specific information by making specific information made by electronic watermark pattern hard to be read. The marking element includes: a marking formed in a base plate with background pattern having engraved recesses made by irradiating the base plate with a laser; an identifying mark formed with recesses made by overwrite-engraving the background pattern with the laser, the recesses being deeper than the recesses of the background pattern; and a hidden mark with recesses made by overwrite-engraving the part different from the part of the identifying mark in the background pattern with the laser, the recesses are formed to be deeper than the background pattern, wherein the hidden mark having different recognition form from the identifying mark.

A method of roughening a surface of a printing form precursor. The method comprises subjecting at least a part of the surface to energy in the form of pulses of electromagnetic radiation to produce a uniformly hydrophilic roughened surface on at least a part of the printing form precursor and optionally converting the uniformly hydrophilic roughened surface of the printing form precursor to a uniformly hydrophobic roughened surface. The method is useful for providing a surface for use in a subsequent imaging and/or printing process in lithographic printing. Methods of providing a printing form comprising an image formed of hydrophobic regions and hydrophilic regions using said method and a method of printing using said method are also described, as are printing forms so produced and imaging devices and apparatus for carrying out the said methods.

The main object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a printing plate with excellent transferability, printing durability, and resolution, a producing method for the printing plate, a producing method for a functional element utilizing the printing plate, and a printing apparatus. An embodiment of the present invention achieves the objective by providing a printing plate comprising: a substrate containing an elastic body swellable in a solvent, a hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer formed on the substrate in a pattern, and a hydrophilic portion that is formed on a surface of the substrate at an opening portion of the hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer and higher in hydrophilicity than the hydrophobic solvent permeation preventing layer.