Method of processing a lithographic printing plate precursor

Abstract

A method of making a lithographic image is disclosed, which comprises the steps of providing a lithographic imaging material comprising a support and a heat- or light-sensitive coating; image-wise exposure of the coating to heat or light, thereby obtaining a latent image in said coating, the latent image consisting of a set of exposed areas in the coating and a set of non-exposed areas in the coating; development of the latent image by supplying a processing liquid to the coating and evacuating, by means of a suction device, the processing liquid together with (i) substances removed from the exposed areas without removing such substances from the non-exposed areas or together with (ii) substances removed from the non-exposed areas without removing such substances from the exposed areas. The method is especially suitable for processing a lithographic printing plate while it is mounted in a plate-setter or a printing press, without the risk of damaging or contaminating electro-optical components of such equipment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.