Abstract: Rotary lithographic printing members are prepared from a non-porous zirconia ceramic that is an alloy of ZrO.sub.2 and a second oxide chosen from MgO, CaO, Y.sub.2 O.sub.3, Sc.sub.2 O.sub.3, a rare earth oxide or a combination of any of these. These printing members can be rotary printing cylinders having a zirconia alloy ceramic printing surface. Such cylinders can be composed of zirconia alloy ceramic throughout, or have a ceramic sleeve or shell mounted around a non-ceramic core. In use, the surface of the zirconia alloy ceramic printing member is imagewise exposed to infrared radiation which transforms it from a hydrophilic to an oleophilic state or from an oleophilic to a hydrophilic state, thereby creating a lithographic printing surface which is hydrophilic in non-image areas and is oleophilic and thus capable of accepting printing ink in image areas. These printing members are directly laser-imageable as well as image erasable.