Method for producing lithographic plates with imaging elements comprising a photosensitive acid precursor

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for obtaining a lithographic printing plate comprising the steps of: (a) image-wise or information-wise exposing a photosensitive imaging element comprising on a hydrophilic surface of a support a hydrophobic photosensitive layer contiguous to said hydrophilic surface, comprising (i) a photosensitive acid precursor and (ii) a hydrophobic polymeric binder and (b) developing said exposed imaging element by the steps of: (i) laminating before or after said exposure an uppermost layer of said imaging element to a receptor layer and (ii) peeling away the receptor layer from the hydrophilic surface of the support thus transferring said hydrophobic photosensitive composition patternwise to the receptor layer, characterized in that said hydrophobic photosensitive layer comprises as photosensitive acid precursor a non-ionic photosensitive precursor of a sulphonic acid or a non-ionic photosensitive precursor of an optionally partially esterified phosphonic acid or a non-ionic photosensitive precursor of an optionally partially esterified phosphoric acid, the latter phosphonic or phosphoric acid precursors in the absence of an acid-sensitive composition of (a) low molecular weight compound(s).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.