Method for producing selectively colorable printing plates

Abstract

A method for forming selectively colored printing plates using photosensitive recording elements is disclosed wherein the photosensitive recording element contains a photopolymerizable recording layer comprising a photopolymerizable monomer, a radical photoinitiator, a color former, and a color photoinitiator. A method for producing a printing plate from the photosensitive recording element involves exposing the back surface of the recording layer to a dose of actinic radiation, imagewise exposing the front of the photopolymerizable recording layer to another dose of actinic radiation thereby forming exposed and unexposed areas on the front of the recording layer wherein the exposed areas are cured and undergo a color change by exposure to the actinic radiation, and then removing the unexposed areas of the imagewise exposed recording layer thereby forming an image in relief wherein the image portion and the non-image portion are of different color and wherein the contrast between these portions due to the color difference is visually detectable.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.