Printing plate manufacturing apparatus and computer-readable non-transitory recording medium storing a data generating program and a control program for a printing plate manufacturing apparatus

An apparatus for manufacturing a printing plate from a thermoplastic porous material, the apparatus comprising:

• a thermal head with a plurality of heater elements;
• and
• a controller for controlling the thermal head;
• wherein the controller includes:
• a data acquirer for acquiring print data corresponding to a print pattern and including pixel data, with each item of pixel data corresponding to each area of the surface of the porous material partitioned into a lattice shape;
• a data identifier for identifying, based on the print data, print pixel data that is part of the pixel data and is pixel data comprising the print pattern, and non-print pixel data that is the other part of the pixel data and is pixel data not comprising the print pattern;
• a first heat applier for selectively applying a first heat quantity to a first area corresponding to the non-print pixel data by at least one first heater element, among the plurality of heater elements, that makes contact with the first area;
• and
• a second heat applier for selectively applying a second heat quantity that is smaller than the first heat quantity to a second area by at least one second heater element, among the plurality of heater elements, that makes contact with the second area identified by the control data of the print pixel data, the second area being where ink readily runs.