Process and apparatus for photomechanical production of structured surfaces, especially for irradiation of offset press plates

A process for photomechanical production of structured surfaces on a pattern carrier as a copy of an electronically stored model, for irradiation of offset press plates, in that the model is broken apart electronically into fragmentary images, and the fragmentary images are represented in succession on a liquid crystal screen and copied on the pattern carrier in such a way that the copies combine again on the pattern carrier to form a total copy of the model, characterized in that each fragmentary image is assigned a first data set for its image content and a second data set for its position, and by means of an image information evaluation circuit or software the image content of each fragmentary image is investigated for whether picture information is contained in it, and as a function of this investigating copying of the fragmentary image onto the pattern carrier is effected, whereby the quantity of the second data sets is sorted such that the smallest possible sum of individual spacings between the positions of the fragmentary images results, and the data sets are transferred in this order to a numerical controller.