"Direct-to-press" positive lithographic printing plate and method for making same

Abstract

A "direct-to-press" diffusion transfer reversal positive lithographic printing plate and method for exposing same. The "direct-to-press" printing plate provides an ink receiving image area and at least one ink repelling mechanical gripper area. Additionally, the plate can include at least one ink repelling border area. The "direct-to-press" printing plate exposure method provides direct exposure of a diffusion transfer reversal photo-lithographic recording substrate by a laser imagesetter using a method of controlling both the imagesetter recording beam and the movement of the recording substrate by the imagesetter. The imagesetter improvements allow exposure of a recording substrate in regions which could not previously be exposed by an imagesetter, providing a positive lithographic printing plate which requires no additional stripping or exposure steps after imagesetter recording.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.