Agfa-gevaert

Agfa Gevaert Nv

Agfa Graphics Nv

Agfa-gavaert

Eastman-kodak Company

Eric Verschueren

Joan T Vermeersch

Guido I Hauquier

Marc Irene Van Damme

Willem Cortens

Paul J Coppens

Marc Van Damme

Rudi A Goedeweeck

Jean Van Trier

Luc H Leenders

Guido Vital Desie

Huub Van Aert

Erik Mostaert

Peter Geerts

Dirk Franky Kokkelenberg

Helmuth Haberhauer

Eddie R Daems

Ludo Van Rompuy

Bavo A Muys

Ludo Joly

Eric M Hoes

Luc J Wabbes

Joseph Vander Aa

Guy Hauquier

J&ouml;rg Jung

Jan Dierckx

Veerle Verschueren

Veerle Versschueren

Jorg Jung

Luc Lemmens

Wim Cortens

Jörg Jung

A positive working heat-sensitive lithographic printing plate precursor is disclosed which comprises a support having a hydrophilic surface and a coating, provided on the hydrophilic surface, wherein the coating comprises a spacer particle comprising aluminum hydroxide or aluminum oxide and having an average particle size larger than 0.3 &#x3bc;m, for improving the scuff-mark resistance of the coating. Furthermore, the coating comprises an infrared light absorbing agent, an oleophilic resin soluble in an aqueous alkaline developer and a developer resistant means.

Positive working heat-sensitive lithographic printing plate precursor

A method of making a heat-sensitive lithographic printing plate precursor is disclosed which comprises the steps of (i) providing a web of a lithographic support having a hydrophilic surface; (ii) applying on the hydrophilic surface of the web a coating comprising a phenolic resin; (iii) drying the coating by supplying heat to the coated web; (iv) a cooling step wherein the web temperature is reduced at an average cooling rate which is higher than if the web would be kept under ambient conditions but not higher than 30&#xb0; C./s; and (v) winding the precursor on a core or cutting the precursor into sheets. The cooling step provides a significant improvement of the aging behavior of the precursor. A stable sensitivity is obtained shortly after coating.

Method of making a lithographic printing plate precursor

A method of printing is disclosed which comprises the steps of

Method of lithographic printing without dampening liquid

A method for treating a micro-emulsion that can be used for removing the ink-accepting areas of a lithographic printing master is disclosed, which enables to recycle the water from the used micro-emulsion. The method comprises the heating of the micro-emulsion to a temperature above 50&#xb0; C. thereby obtaining an aqueous phase and an organic phase and separating the aqueous phase from the organic phase.

Method of lithographic printing with a reusable substrate

A method is disclosed for removing ink-accepting areas from a printing master by laser ablation, characterized in that the printing master comprises a substrate which comprises a support and a base layer, wherein the base layer contains a crosslinked hydrophilic binder and a metal oxide. The base layer prevents deterioration of the quality of the substrate due to the laser ablation. In a preferred embodiment, the same substrate is used in a number of consecutive printing cycles of on-press coating, on-press exposure, printing and cleaning.

Cleaning method for recycling a printing substrate by laser ablation

A method for removing ink-accepting areas of a lithographic printing master is disclosed which enables to recycle the lithographic substrate of the printing master. The method comprises after a cleaning step a treatment of the recycled substrate with an aqueous solution having a pH<7.

A method of lithographic printing is disclosed which comprises the steps of unwinding a web of a flexible lithographic base from a supply spool, the lithographic base having a hydrophilic surface, wrapping the lithographic base around a cylinder of a printing press, applying on the lithographic base an image-recording layer which is removable in a single-fluid ink or can be rendered removable in a single-fluid ink by exposure to heat or light, image-wise exposing the image-recording layer to heat or light, processing the image-recording layer by supplying single-fluid ink, thereby obtaining a printing master, printing by supplying single-fluid ink to the printing master which is mounted on a plate cylinder of the printing press; and removing the printing master from the plate cylinder, preferably by winding up on an uptake spool. Since the image-recording layer can be processed by single-fluid ink, the imaging material is suitable for on-press processing in printing presses wherein no fountain solution is supplied to the plate. The method allows a rapid, fully automatic plate change with reduced press down time.

On-press coating and on-press processing of a lithographic material

An off-press plate-making apparatus is provided which comprises an apparatus for removing the lithographic image from the substrate of a used printing master and an apparatus for recoating the recycled substrate with a new image-recording layer. The off-press cleaning and recoating of the substrate provides a short press down-time. The recoated substrate forms an imaging material which can be exposed either on-press in a digital press comprising an integrated exposure apparatus or off-press in an exposure apparatus, which can be integrated in the plate-making apparatus or mechanically coupled thereto.

Apparatus for automatic plate coating and cleaning

A direct-to-plate method for obtaining a high quality lithographic printing plate is disclosed. The method comprises the application of a continuous layer of a radiation sensitive solution onto a lithographic substrate by means of an ink-jet printhead. Hereby waste of coating solution and contamination of the environment are avoided.

Method of making lithographic printing plate by inkjet printing

A direct-to-plate method of lithographic printing is disclosed wherein a printing press is used that is coupled to a coating apparatus and to a cleaning apparatus; wherein the coating apparatus applies an image-recording layer on a substrate so as to obtain a printing plate, which is mechanically transferred to the printing press; and wherein, after the print job, the printing plate is mechanically transferred to the cleaning apparatus wherein the substrate is recycled, so that the recycled substrated can be reused in a next cycle of coating, printing and cleaning. The off-press coating and the off-press cleaning step provide a fully automated printing method wherein the press down-time is minimized. The method comprises also an off-press or an on-press exposure step.

Direct-to-plate lithographic printing method using automatic plate-coating and cleaning

Method of processing a lithographic printing plate precursor

According to the present invention there is provided a heat mode imaging element for providing a lithographic printing plate consisting of a lithographic base with a hydrophilic surface and a top layer that is sensitive to IR-radiation, comprises a polymer soluble in an aqueous alkaline solution, and is unpenetrable for an aqueous alkaline developer, characterized in that said top layer comprises a polysiloxane surfactant.

Heat mode sensitive imaging element for making positive working printing plates

According to the present invention there is provided a heat mode imaging element for making a lithographic printing plate comprising on a lithographic base with a hydrophilic surface a first layer including a polymer, soluble in an aqueous alkaline solution and a top layer on the same side of the lithographic base as the first layer which top layer is IR-sensitive and unpenetrable for an alkaline developer wherein said first layer and said top layer may be one and the same layer; characterized in that said top layer contains at least one blockcopolymer in an amount between 0.5 and 500 mg/m .

Growing community of inventors

Merksplas, Belgium

Eric Verschueren