Abstract: The electric conductivity of the developer is measured every constant period, a development replenisher is replenished every constant time as a time lapse replenisher in an amount based on a set value of a time lapse replenishment rate, a development replenisher is replenished every processing of a constant area of a photosensitive lithographic printing plate precursor(s) as a processing replenisher in an amount based on a set value of a processing replenishment rate, a calculated value of electric conductivity is calculated from the amounts of the time lapse replenisher and the processing replenisher, the set values of the time lapse replenishment rate and the processing replenishment rate are increased or decreased according to the result of the comparison of the calculated value with the measured value, and the value of the difference between the calculated value and the measured value is displayed as a degree of a developer activity.

Abstract: A printing unit having at least one press unit, the, or each, press unit having at least one form cylinder, a transfer cylinder, an inking unit and preferably a damping unit, and having at least one imaging device for imaging and/or de-imaging a rewritable and erasable printing form positioned on the form cylinder. The inking unit, if appropriate together with the damping unit, can be pivoted with respect to a form cylinder from a printing position into a rest position. The imaging device can be pivoted with respect to the form cylinder from an imaging position into a rest position. The imaging device is pivoted into a rest position when the inking unit and, if appropriate, damping unit is pivoted into the printing position and, when the imaging device is pivoted into the imaging position, the inking unit and, if appropriate, the damping unit is pivoted into a rest position.

Abstract: A printing plate material having an aluminum support on which an image forming layer is provided, wherein a wireless IC tag is provided on a part of the printing plate material.

Abstract: A development replenisher replenishment method in an automatic developing machine for a photosensitive lithographic printing plate precursor, the method comprising: developing a plurality of sheets of exposed photosensitive lithographic printing plate precursors with a developer containing an electrolyte while replenishing a development replenisher to keep a developer activity constant, wherein an electric conductivity of the developer is measured every constant period; a development replenisher is replenished every constant time as a time lapse replenisher in an amount based on a set value of a time lapse replenishment rate; a development replenisher is replenished every processing of a constant area of a photosensitive lithographic printing plate precursor(s) as a processing replenisher in an amount based on a set value of a processing replenishment rate; a calculated value of an electric conductivity is calculated from an amount of the time lapse replenisher and an amount of the processing replenisher; and

Abstract: A method of developing a laser sensitive lithographic printing plate with ink and/or fountain solution is described. The printing member comprises on a substrate a photosensitive layer soluble or dispersible in ink and/or fountain solution and capable of hardening upon exposure to a laser. The plate is exposed with a laser and deactivated under a safe light or in the dark, and then on-press developed with ink and/or fountain solution preferably under white light. Alternatively, the plate is developed with ink and/or fountain solution or the likes off press, and then mounted on press for lithographic printing.

Abstract: There is prepared a printing plate on which a material being hydrophilic due to light energy at a first temperature and being hydrophobic at a second temperature due to heat energy which is lower than the first temperature is provided. First, the whole surface of the printing plate is forcibly made either one of hydrophobic or hydrophilic. Next, a region having the other nature out of hydrophobic and hydrophilic is formed so as to correspond to an image to be printed. Then, ink is supplied onto the region having hydrophobic nature to conduct offset printing.

Abstract: In a method and device to generate a print image on a carrier material, a surface of a print carrier is coated with a layer which is one of ink-repelling and ink-attracting. In the structuring process, ink-attracting regions and ink-repelling regions are generated. Ink that adheres to the ink-attracting regions and that is not absorbed by the ink-repelling regions is applied on the surface. The applied ink is transferred onto the carrier material. Before a new structure process on the same surface of the print carrier, the surface is cleaned and recoated with said layer. Before the application of said layer, a wetting-aiding substance is applied with a molecular layer thickness. A surfactant with hydrophilic molecule sections is used as the wetting-aiding substance.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of carrying out lithographic printing using a plate having an image recording layer capable of being developed with dampening water and/or ink, the method including: a development step in which a plate bearing a recorded image, mounted on a plate cylinder and having a given surface speed is subjected to contact with a dampening roller and/or a form roller having a surface speed differing from the surface speed of the plate, and is thereby supplied with dampening water and/or ink; and a printing step in which ink is transferred to a printing material while the dampening roller and form roller remain in contact with the plate. The method of the present invention is a lithographic printing method which uses on-machine development type plates and has a very high productivity because the amount of paper spoilage at the start of printing is low and the time until scum-free impressions are obtained is short.

Abstract: A printing form (10) having a surface (12) of pure silicon or of a silicon ceramic, which bears a pattern composed of hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, the hydrophilic regions having a first chemical state and the hydrophobic regions having a second chemical state that differs from the first chemical state, in hydrophobic regions, the surface (12) having silicon atoms, to which at least one organic terminal group is attached in each instance. The organic terminal group may be, in particular, an unsubstituted or halogenated aryl terminal group or alkyl terminal group and be attached via an Si—C, Si—O—C or Si—O—Si—C bond. Also a method for modifying the wetting properties of the printing form, the surface (12) being brought into a first chemical state having a first wetting property, and a portion of all regions of the surface (12) being brought into a second chemical state having a second wetting property by modifying the chemical terminal groups of the surface (12).

Abstract: Positioning of a printing plate in an image recorder is performed by the same method used for punching positioning holes for printing press in the printing plate. Specifically, the positioning for image recording is performed with reference to an edge of the printing plate on the same side as the edge of the printing plate used as a reference for punching the positioning holes for printing press. When the positioning for punching the positioning holes for printing press is performed with reference to the central position of the printing plate, the central position of the printing plate is detected based on a measured width of the printing plate, and the positioning for image recording is carried out with reference to the central position. Consequently, an image recorded on the printing plate by the image recorder and the positioning holes for printing press in the printing plate always have the same positional relationship.

Abstract: Disclosed is a printing process employing a printing plate material obtained by providing, on a support, a coating solution for an image formation layer capable of forming an image by heating, the process comprising the steps of imagewise heating the printing plate material, and then carrying out printing supplying printing ink and a dampening solution to the heated printing plate material, wherein the acid base property of the coating solution is the reverse of that of the dampening solution.

Abstract: A method for evaluating planographic printing plates according to the present invention includes: a step (A) of exposing a planographic printing plate precursor by irradiating a thin-line image of a one-pixel line and at least one thin-line image selected from two- to eight-pixel lines by incrementally altering the plate-surface energy; developing the exposed plate precursor with a standard developer; and identifying an exposure intensity (hereinafter, “thin-line sensitivity”) that respectively provides the images thus formed, with the same density; a step (B) of preparing another planographic printing plate precursor under the same conditions as in the step (A) and identifying the thin-line sensitivity, except that the planographic printing plate precursor is developed with a test developer; a step (C) of comparing the thin-line sensitivities respectively obtained in the steps (A) and (B); and a step (D) of adjusting plate-making conditions when the results of the comparison in the step (C) show a difference

Abstract: A stamp for use in transferring a pattern in nano-scale has a monomolecular antisticking layer. The anti-sticking layer comprises molecular chains, which are covalently bound to the surface of the stamp and which each comprise at least one fluorine-containing group. Each molecular chain contains a group Q, which comprises a bond which is weaker than the other bonds in the molecular chain as well as the covalent bond that binds the molecular chain to the surface of the stamp. Splitting of said bond in the group Q creates a group Q1, which is attached to the part of the molecular chain being left on the surface of the stamp and which is capable of reacting with a fluorine-containing compound to restore the antisticking layer. In a method of manufacturing a stamp for use in transferring a pattern in nanoscale, the stamp is provided with the above-mentioned molecular chain.

Abstract: A method of screening a continuous tone image into a halftone representation for a flexographic printing operation can compensate for characteristic printing problems in highlight areas by selectively placing non-printing dots proximate highlight dots. The non-printing dots raise the printing relief floor in the highlight areas providing additional support for marginally printable image features.

Abstract: A stencil printing machine has a rotatable printing drum including an outer peripheral wall of ink impermeable material. A stencil paper is mounted on the surface of the outer peripheral wall. An ink supplying mechanism includes an ink supplying unit in the outer peripheral wall of the printing drum and supplies ink to the surface of the outer peripheral wall. A pressure roller presses a fed print sheet against the outer peripheral wall. When an initial printing operation is performed after a stencil paper is mounted on the printing drum, the ink supplying mechanism is caused to supply the surface of the outer peripheral wall, in advance, with an amount of ink which is larger than an amount of ink which is supplied for second and proceeding printing operations.

Abstract: The invention relates to an intaglio printing plate for producing a printing image with at least one engraved area in the printing plate surface, characterized in that the engraved area has one or more structural elements in which the edge area has a greater engraving depth than the inside area, the edge area and the inside area are directly adjacent, and the inside area is designed as a plateau that is lowered relative to the printing plate surface, to a method for producing the printing plates, to a data carrier with a printed image produced by intaglio, and an intaglio printing process.

Abstract: A printing machine includes a printing form cylinder, a first roller, a second roller, a third roller, a fourth roller, and a dampener roller. The machine has a defined roller control position, wherein the first roller engages with the dampener roller, the third roller and the fourth roller, the second roller engages with the dampener roller, and the dampener roller engages with the printing form cylinder. In this same roller position, the second roller further engages with the third roller.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an original method of copying a printing plate. Said plate, intended for wet offset printing, comprises a base substrate and a photosensitive layer which is soluble in a solvent. As is conventional, said method comprises selectively eliminating said photosensitive layer at suitable locations and is characterized in that said selective elimination comprises: depositing droplets of said solvent at said suitable locations; and rinsing the plate to evacuate the deposited solvent, which by then is charged with the photosensitive layer eliminated from said locations and is inactive.

Abstract: Solubility transitions rather than ablation mechanisms facilitate selective removal of the imaging layer of a lithographic plate, which allows for imaging with low-power lasers that need not impart ablation-inducing energy levels.

Abstract: A process is provided for obtaining or refreshing the illustration of a printing form, preferably in wet-offset printing. Instead of clearing the illustration over the entire area, the printing form is acted on during the production. For this, a processing agent can act on the printing form in different areas for images. A processing agent preferably acts over the entire area of the printing form, in which case the layer of ink located on the printing form leads to a locally different intensity of the action, corresponding to the illustration of the printing form. Photocatalytic effects are preferably used. A hydrophilization of non-image areas is brought about by irradiation in the presence of water molecules. Since printing ink containing little water lies on the image areas, hydrophilization cannot occur on the image areas. Thus, in spite of the entire-area action on the printing form, an image-related refreshing or obtaining of the illustration is automatically achieved.