Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Hiroyuki Nagase

Kazuto Kunita

Satoshi Hoshi

Syunichi Kondo

Yasuo Okamoto

Shunichi Kondo

Mitsumasa Tsuchiya

Nobuyuki Nishimiya

A developer comprising at least one carbonate, at least one hydrogen carbonate and at least one alkali silicate, wherein the ratio of the total molar concentration 'a' of the carbonate and the hydrogen carbonate to the molar concentration 'b' of the SiOcomponent present in the alkali silicate: &#x201c;a/b&#x201d; ranges from 1:0.3 to 1:2, the total molar concentration of &#x201c;a&#x201d; and &#x201c;b&#x201d;: &#x201c;a+b&#x201d; ranges from 0.1 to 2 mole/L, and the pH value thereof ranges from 9 to 13; and an image-forming method which comprises the steps of imagewise exposing a negative-working image-forming material which comprises a substrate provided thereon with an image-recording layer comprising an infrared light absorber, a polymerization initiator, an ethylenically unsaturated bond-containing monomer and a polymer binder, and then developing the imagewise exposed image-forming material with the foregoing developer.

Image-forming method and developer

The present invention provides a method for forming images comprising the steps of imagewise exposing a negative-working image-forming material which comprises a substrate provided thereon with an image-recording layer comprising a photopolymerization initiator system sensitive to light rays whose wavelength falls within the visible to ultraviolet ranges, a polymerizable compound carrying at least one ethylenically unsaturated group and a binder polymer and then developing the imagewise exposed image-forming material with a developer which contains at least one carbonate, at least one hydrogen carbonate and at least one alkali silicate and which has a pH value ranging from 9 to 13.0, wherein the ratio of the total molar number a of the carbonate and the hydrogen carbonate to the molar number b of the SiOcomponent present in the alkali silicate: a/b ranges from 1:0.3 to 1:2 and the total molar number of these components: a+b ranges from 0.1 to 2 mole/L. The present invention provides a stable processing method even when an image-forming material having a narrow latitude (small discrimination) in developing is utilized.

Method for forming images

The present invention relates to a method for forming images which comprises imagewise exposing a photopolymerizable image-forming material comprising a substrate provided thereon with an image-recording layer which comprises a specific photopolymerization initiator system, a polymerizable compound carrying at least one ethylenically unsaturated group and a binder polymer and then developing the imagewise exposed material with a developer containing at least one carbonate and at least one hydrogen carbonate and a specific surfactant in an amount ranging from 1.0 to 10% by weight, and having a specific pH and a specific electrical conductivity. The image-forming method permits the achievement of a sufficient developing ability even at a relatively low pH at which the image-forming material is not damaged so much and the preparation of a printing plate having good printing durability.

An image-forming member excellent in the developing ability and printing durability can be obtained and images can be formed without being accompanied by any accumulation of scum in a developing bath used, by developing an image-forming material, in particular, a negative-working image-forming material which comprises a substrate provided thereon with an image-recording layer comprising an infrared light absorber, a polymerization initiator, an ethylenically unsaturated bond-containing monomer and a binder polymer, using a developer which comprises at least one carbonate and at least one hydrogen carbonate, and at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of nonionic aromatic ether type surfactants represented by the following general formula (1): X&#x2014;Y&#x2014;O-(A)-(B)&#x2014;H (wherein X represents an aromatic group; Y represents a single bond or an alkylene group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; A and B represent groups different from one another and each represents either &#x2014;CHCHO&#x2014; or &#x2014;CHCH(CH)O&#x2014;; m and n are 0 or an integer ranging from 1 to 100, respectively, provided that n and m cannot simultaneously represent 0 and that when either n or m is 0, n and m cannot represent 1) and anionic surfactants in an amount ranging from 1.0 to 10% by weight; and which has a pH value ranging from 8.5 to 11.5 and an electrical conductivity x falling within the range: 30&#x3c;x&#x3c;100 mS/cm.

A method for preparing a lithographic printing plate comprising the steps of imagewise exposing, to light, a presensitized plate for use in making a lithographic printing plate, which comprises a grained and anodized substrate provided thereon with a photopolymerizable light-sensitive layer containing a compound having at least one addition-polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated double bond and a titanocene type initiator; and then developing the light-exposed presensitized plate using a developer which comprises a surfactant and a weak acid or a salt thereof having a dissociation constant pka ranging from 10 to 13, and has a pH value ranging from 11.5 to 12.8. The method exhibits excellent development performance, and gives good results to the resultant printing plate in terms of printing durability and scumming. In addition, the change in pH value of the developer is so small that the stable development can be ensured for a long period of time.

Method for preparing lithographic printing plate

A plate-making method of a lithographic printing plate is disclosed, which comprises the steps of exposure of a photo-sensitive lithographic printing plate having the acid value of a photosensitive layer of 1.0 meq/g or less with a laser beam, and then development with a developing solution having a pH value of 13.0 or less at a developing speed in an unexposed domain of 0.05 &mgr;m/s or more and at an osmotic speed of a developing solution in an exposed domain of 0.1 &mgr;m/s or less.

Developing solution for photosensitive lithographic printing plate, plate-making method of lithographic printing plate, and photosensitive lithographic printing plate

Developer for photopolymerizable presensitized plate for use in making lithographic printing plate and method for preparing lithographic printing plate

A negative-working photosensitive material having formed on a support a photopolymerizable layer containing an addition polymerizable compound having at least one ethylenically unsaturated double bond, a photopolymerization initiator, and a high molecular weight binder and also having formed on the layer a protective layer containing a water-soluble vinyl polymer and a polymer which does not have a compatibility with polyvinyl alcohol and is water soluble in itself. The protective layer has a practically sufficient adhesive property to the photopolymerizable layer and the photosensitive layer has a high sensitivity to an Ar.sup.+ laser and a TAG-SHG laser and is suitably used as a photosensitive lithographic printing plate.

Negative-working photosensitive material

A silver halide light-sensitive material comprises a support, a hardening layer and a light-sensitive layer. The hardening layer contains an ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable compound or an ethylenically unsaturated cross-linkable polymer. The light-sensitive layer contains silver halide and a hydrophilic polymer. The hardening layer or the light-sensitive layer contains a reducing agent. An adhesive layer or the light-sensitive layer contains a water-soluble synthetic polymer. The adhesive layer is provided between the hardening layer and the light-sensitive layer. The water-soluble synthetic polymer comprises a repeating unit represented by the formula (I) in an amount of at least 50 mol %: ##STR1## in which each of n1 and n2 is an integer of 10 to 5,000; each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 is hydrogen, an alkyl group or an aryl group; X is --O--R.sup.4 --O-- or --NR.sup.5 --; R.sup.4 is an alkylene group, an alkyleneoxyalkylene group, an arylene group or an aralkylene group; R.sup.5 is an alkyl group or an aryl group; Y.sup.1 is --CO-- or --CONH--; Y.sup.2 is --CO-- or --NHCO--; and R.sup.3 is an alkylene group, an alkenylene group, an arylene group or an aralkylene group.

Silver halide light-sensitive material comprising support, hardening

A negative photosensitive lithographic printing plate comprising an aluminum or organic polymer support having a surface roughness Ra of 0.25 to 0.60 .mu.m and having provided thereon a photopolymerizable photosensitive layer comprising a polymerizable monomer, a photopolymerization initiator and a sensitizer having an absorbing wavelength of 400 to 1,000 nm, wherein the support has a functional group on its surface at the side of the photosensitive layer, and wherein the functional group has an unsaturated bond which can undergo a radical addition reaction and an Si atom which covalently bonds to an aluminum atom, an Si atom, or a carbon atom in the support via an oxygen atom.

Photosensitive printing plate

A photosensitive lithographic printing plate is described, which comprises a photopolymerizable composition containing at least the following components (i) to (iii): (i) a polymerizable compound having an addition-polymerizable unsaturated bond, (ii) a photopolymerization initiator, and (iii) a pigment dispersion, wherein the pigment dispersion is dispersed in the presence of a polymer having an aliphatic double bond in a main chain or a side chain thereof.

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Haibara-gun, Japan

Hiroyuki Nagase