Gravure short run printing plate

An image-ready gravure printing blank, comprising:

• a substrate;
• a UV curing layer comprised of binder resins that are soluble in water, dilute alkali and non-aqueous solvent;
• and UV curing layer being disposed on said substrate;
• and
• an IR absorbing, UV opaque layer, said IR absorbing, UV opaque layer being deposited from water and interacting with said UV curing layer to provide rub-resistance.

A method for preparing a gravure printing blank usable in a gravure printing process, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing an image-ready printing blank comprising:
• a substrate;
• a UV curing layer comprised of binder resins that are soluble in water, dilute alkali and non-aqueous solvent;
• and
• an IR absorbing, UV opaque layer, said IR absorbing, UV opaque layer being deposited from water and interacting with said UV curing layer to provide rub-resistance;
• digitally imaging said printing blank with a digital laser imaging system using an IR laser, such that the IR irradiation causes selective ablation of areas of said IR absorbing layer, forming an image structure having exposed and unexposed areas of said UV curing layer;
• flood-curing said printing blank with UV radiation to cure said exposed areas of said UV curing layer in said image structure;
• and
• washing said printing blank so that remaining IR absorbing layer areas and said unexposed image structure areas are removed,
• such that the remaining UV cured image structure areas of the UV curing layer form cells for holding printing ink for use in the gravure printing process.