Method of making a lithographic printing plate

A method of making a lithographic printing plate, the method comprising the steps of:

• image-wise exposing a lithographic printing plate precursor including a light or heat sensitive coating on a support having a hydrophilic surface or which is provided with a hydrophilic layer;
• and
• processing the precursor consecutively with a first solution and a second solution so as to remove the coating from the support at non-printing areas;
• wherein
• the first and second solutions are provided by a cascade system such that the second solution overflows into the first solution and the first solution overflows into a container to be treated as waste;
• the second solution is regenerated by adding a replenishing solution or a mixture of replenishing solutions at a rate of at least 5 ml/m2 of treated precursor and at most 30 ml/m2 of treated precursor;
• the first and second solutions are circulated, respectively, by a first and a second liquid conveying system;
• the first solution present in the first liquid conveying system has a volume of at least Vmin and at most Vmax, respectively, defined by formula 1 and formula 2:
• Vmin=[A+(processing width/0.95 m)]·liter (formula 1)
• Vmax=[B+(processing width/0.95 m)]·liter (formula 2)
• Vmin and Vmax represent, respectively, a minimum and a maximum volume present in the first liquid conveying system expressed in liters;
• A and B represent a constant value, and A is 2;
• and
• the processing width represents a width, expressed in m, inside a processing unit, perpendicular to a processing direction of the precursor, which is available for processing plate precursors in a uniform way across their width.