Kodak Polychrome Graphics, Gmbh

Sun Chemical Corporation

Other

Robert W Hallman

Ken-ichi Shimazu

S Peter Pappas

Hui Zhu

My T Nguyen

Ajay Shah

Suck-Ju Hong

Celin M Savariar-Hauck

Shashikant Saraiya

Hans-Joachim Timpe

My Thanh Nguyen

Omkar J Natu

Gerhard Hauck

Jayanti Patel

Frederic E Mikell

Burton H Waxman

Nishith Merchant

Jerome Philip Kesselman

Ken-Ichi Shimazu

Michael W Adelman

A method for forming an image on a printing plate intermediate having a radiation transparent removable coating layer is disclosed. An image mask, opaque to ultraviolet radiation, is applied to the coating layer with an ink jet system. After the plate intermediate is exposed with ultraviolet radiation, the image mask and coating layer are removed, and plate intermediate developed.

Masked presensitized printing plate intermediates and method of imaging same

A lithographic printing surface is prepared using a thermal lithographic printing plate which requires no chemical development to remove areas of the imaged plate. The processless thermal lithographic printing plate has a sheet substrate; a hydrophilic layer on the sheet substrate; and a thermally sensitive imaging layer on the hydrophilic layer. The hydrophilic layer contains about 30 weight % of an aluminosilicate or clay, and preferably has an exterior surface which is micro-porous. The imaging layer preferably is micro-porous. The imaging layer is exposed imagewise using infrared laser radiation to produce an imaged layer. The imaged layer is treated with a conditioner liquid to produce a lithographic printing surface. By this method, the printing plate can be digitally imaged by infrared laser radiation so that the exposed areas become ink receptive and the non-exposed areas repel ink after simple treatment with a conditioner such as an aqueous surfactant solution such as a fountain solution containing an amphoteric surfactant.

Processless, laser imageable lithographic printing plate

A presensitized printing plate intermediate having an image mask on a UV radiation transparent removable coating layer; and a printing plate produced directly by reactants which polymerize alone or in combination with other reactants precoated on the plate substrate to form a printable hard resin image. A method of digitally forming an image on said printing plate intermediate.

Process for the production of lithographic printing plates

Lithographic printing plates for wet or waterless offset printing are disclosed which can be imagewise exposed using a digitally controlled IR laser. The invention comprises a laser imagable lithographic printing plate comprising a substrate, a photosensitive coating on the substrate, and a water soluble laser ablatable top coating containing dyes or polymers that absorb infra-red, ultraviolet and visible light. Laminated transparent polymer films and/or peelable polymeric coatings films can be interposed between the coated substrate and a water soluble and/or organic solvent soluble laser ablatable top layer to augment plate production or image inscription on the plate.

Digital laser imagable lithographic printing plates

A method for directly imaging a lithographic printing surface using infrared radiation without the requirement of pre- or post-UV-light exposure, or heat treatment employs a printing plate which contains a support with a hydrophilic surface overcoated with an imaging layer. The imaging layer contains at least one polymer having bonded pendent groups which are hydroxy, carboxylic acid, tert-butyl-oxycarbonyl, sulfonamide, amide, nitrile, urea, or combinations thereof; as well as an infrared absorbing compound. The imaging layer may contain a second polymer which has bonded pendent groups which are 1,2-napthoquinone diazide, hydroxy, carboxylic acid, sulfonamide, hydroxymethyl amide, alkoxymethyl amide, nitrile, maleimide, urea, or combinations thereof. The imaging layer may also contain a visible absorption dye, a solubility inhibiting agent, or both. In practice, the imaging layer is imagewise exposed to infrared radiation to produce exposed image areas in the imaged layer which have transient solubility in aqueous alkaline developing solution, so that solubility is gradually lost over a period of time until the imaged areas become as insoluble as non-imaged areas. Within a short time period of the imaging exposure, the imaged layer is developed with an aqueous alkaline developing solution to form the lithographic printing surface. In this method, the infrared radiation preferably is laser radiation which is digitally controlled.

Thermal lithographic printing plates

Radiation-sensitive compositions, printing plates containing such compositions, imageable by infrared and ultraviolet/visible radiation and imaging method using same. The compositions comprise a thermal-activated acid generator; a crosslinking resin; a binder resin comprising a polymer containing reactive pendant groups selected from hydroxy, carboxylic acid, sulfonamide, and alkoxymethylamides; an infrared absorber; and optionally a UV/visible radiation-activated acid generator for UV/visible sensitization.

Radiation-sensitive compositions and printing plates

Lithographic plate compositions and a method for their production have been discovered that are especially useful in conjunction with digitally controlled lasers to directly construct printable images on lithographic plates. The plates comprise a substrate and an ablatable polymeric coating on the substrate where the ablatable, imageable coating is prepared by in situ or solution polymerization of conjugated monomers deposited on the plate by vapor deposition or in solution. Examples of such monomers are thiophene, pyrrole and aniline.

Laser imageable lithographic printing plates

The invention utilizes ink jet liquid droplets from one or more printer heads to form an image upon the surface of a printing plate corresponding to digital information depicting the image as provided by a digital computer system which is in digital communication with the printer heads. The droplets from the printer head comprise resin forming reactants which polymerize on the plate surface, alone or in combination with reactants precoated on the plate, to form a printable hard resin image. The resin image so formed provides a lithographic printing plate useful for extended print runs.

A camera speed lithographic plate precursor composition is used for the preparation of waterless, imaged printing plates. The plates comprise a solid substrate with a first layer of a photopolymerizable, oleophilic coating; a second layer of silicone rubber; a third protective film layer; and a top or fourth layer comprising a silver halide emulsion containing polymeric binders or keying agents.

Waterless presensitized printing plate comprising four layers and method

Waterless presensitized plate comprising four layers

A lithographic printing plate precursor and process for its utilization have been discovered through which negative and positive original images can be printably reproduced on the plate precursor in substantially fewer development steps. The precursor plate is exposed sequentially to either the negative or positive original with the resultant image subsequently developable in a single process or step. The process is achieved by using a precursor plate having two coatings of significantly different photographic sensitivity to light, i.e., speed as characterized by 'camera speed' or 'contact speed' and imagewise exposing the originals in sequence to alternative speeds. The contact speed coating may be negative-working or positive working while the camera speed coating is negative-working. The camera speed coating is developed followed by exposure of the contact speed coating. Images produced at camera speed are removed and non-image bearing portions of the contact speed coating are removed. The remaining image areas corresponding to the negative and positive originals are treated to provide positive printable images.

Growing community of inventors

Palisades Park, NJ, United States of America

Robert W Hallman