Imaging system

An imaging process which comprises the steps of:

• (1) providing a first radiation sensitive element comprising a transparent base having coated thereon at least four imaging media each being capable of forming a colour image upon imagewise exposure and processing, each of said imaging media being capable of forming a colour image and having a maximum sensitivity at a wavelength different from the wavelengths of the maximum sensitivity of the other imaging media being capable of forming a colour image and the wavelength of the maximum absorption of the colour image formed by each imaging medium differing from the wavelength of the maximum absorption of the colour image formed by the other imaging media by at least 40 nm;
• (ii) obtaining colour separation information representative of the cyan, magenta, yellow and black content of a colour original or electrically generated image,
• (iii) exposing said first radiation sensitive element of step (i) to at least four independently modulated sources of radiation from 550 to 900 nm, each source being modulated by said colour separation information with respect to one colour and emitting radiation at a wavelength in the region of the wavelength of maximum sensitivity of one of said imaging media capable of forming a colour image such that a latent image representative of at least the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black information of step (ii) is formed in individual colour forming media;
• (iv) processing said exposed radiation sensitive element to produce a transparency comprising at least four colour images, a first colour image being representative of the colour separation information for cyan, a second colour image being representative of the colour separation information for magenta, a third colour image being representative of the colour separation information for yellow, and a fourth colour image being representative of the colour separation information for black,
• (v) exposing a second radiation sensitive element comprising a base having at least one imaging medium coated thereon through said transparency produced in step (iv) to record on said second radiation sensitive element an image corresponding to one or more of the image of said imaging media of the transparency,
• wherein each imaging medium of said four imaging media within said first element has a sensitivity at the wavelengths of maximum spectral sensitivity of the other imaging media which is not significant with respect to said sensitivity at the wavelengths corresponding to the maximum spectral sensitivity of said other imaging media, and wherein exposing of said first radiation sensitive element comprises a false color address of a medium, and in which the first radiation sensitive element comprises a substrate bearing at least four imaging media coated thereon, said imaging media including:
• (1)) an imaging medium capable of forming a first colour image (CF1) upon imagewise exposure and processing,
• (2) an imaging medium capable of forming a second colour image (CF2) upon imagewise exposure and processing,
• (3) an imaging medium capable of forming a third colour image (CF3) upon imagewise exposure and processing, and
• (4) an imaging medium capable of forming a and processing,
• each imaging media (1), (2) and (3) having a maximum spectral sensitivity at a wavelength different from that of the maximum sensitivity of the other imaging media of (1) to (3), the imaging medium (4) having spectral sensitivity at each of the wavelengths of the maximum sensitivity of the other imaging media, the exposure being conducted in half-tone.

An imaging process which comprises the steps of:

• (i) providing a first radiation sensitive element comprising a transparent base having coated thereon at least four imaging media each being capable of forming a colour image upon imagewise exposure and processing, each of said imaging media being capable of forming a colour image and having a maximum sensitivity at a wavelength different from the wavelengths of the maximum sensitivity of the other imaging media being capable of forming a colour image and the wavelength of the maximum absorption of the colour image formed by each imaging medium differing from the wavelength of the maximum absorption of the colour image formed by the other imaging media by at least 40 nm;
• (ii) obtaining colour separation information representative of the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black content of a colour original or electronically generated image,
• (iii) exposing said first radiation sensitive element of step (i) to at least four independently modulated sources of radiation from 550 to 900 nm, each source being modulated by said colour separation information with respect to one colour and emitting radiation at a wavelength in the region of the wavelength of maximum sensitivity of one of said imaging media capable of forming a colour image such that a latent image representative of at least the cyan, magenta, yellow and black information of step (ii) is formed in individual colour forming media;
• (iv) processing said exposed radiation sensitive element to produce a transparency comprising at least four colour images, a first colour image being representative of the colour separation information for cyan, a second colour image being representative of the colour separation information for magenta, a third colour image being representative of the colour separation information of yellow, and a fourth colour image being representative of the colour separation information for black,
• (v) exposing a second radiation sensitive element comprising a base having at least one imaging medium coated thereon through said transparency produced in step (iv) to record on said second radiation sensitive element an image corresponding to one or more of the images of said imaging media of the transparency,
• wherein each imaging medium of said four imaging media within said first element has a sensitivity at the wavelengths of maximum spectral sensitivity of the other imaging media which is not significant with respect to said sensitivity at the wavelengths corresponding to the maximum spectral sensitivity of said other imaging media, and wherein exposing of said first radiation sensitive element comprises a false color address of a medium, and in which the second radiation sensitive element comprises a panchromatic element or photosensitive printing plate.