Abstract: For the seamless and firm joining of the end and/or lateral areas of thermoplastically processible photosensitive layers, the end and/or lateral areas of one or more solvent-free and unsupported thermoplastically processible photosensitive layers are overlapped avoiding bubbles and with displacement of the air between the end and/or lateral areas, the total layer material is then heated under pressure and with joining of the overlapping end and/or lateral areas, and the resulting continuously joined photosensitive layer is then aftertreated and smoothed with shaping to exact size.

Abstract: For coating printing cylinders or sleeves with a seamless, smooth photosensitive layer, two or more strata of a thin, prefabricated, essentially solvent-free, unsupported, thermoplastically processible, solid, photosensitive layer are applied to the printing cylinder or the sleeve, without bubbles and with displacement of the air between the individual strata, and the total photosensitive layer material is then heated under pressure and with joining or fusion of the individual strata to form a single, continuous photosensitive layer, and the surface of the resulting photosensitive layer is aftertreated to shape it exactly to size and is smoothed, with formation of an exactly cylindrical shape.

Abstract: A flexible thinwalled sleeve for gravure printing is provided, which, going from inside to outside, essentially consists of(1) a slightly conical layer of nickel to provide mechanical strength,(2) a layer of copper, having the structure of high-gloss copper and which is essentially free of internal stresses, said layer having a cylindrical outer surface,(3) a thin, cylindrical layer of hard copper having a structure suitable for electronic engraving and having a gravure pattern on its outer surface, and if desired,(4) a thin protective layer of chrome.These layers are all firmly adhered to each other and especially the two layers of copper cannot be separated by peeling off. Since a high-gloss copper layer, which is free of internal stresses, has been found unsuitable for electronic engraving, and since the layer of hard copper, suitable for electronic engraving, has been found to have internal stresses, which would be unacceptable in the first layer of copper, the two layers must necessarily be different.