Abstract: A method of preparing a flexographic printing master including an optional elastomeric floor, an optional mesa relief, and an image relief are applied in this order on a flexographic printing support includes applying and curing fluid droplets thereby building up a plurality of layers of fluid on top of each other, wherein each fluid droplet applied is at least partially cured before an adjacent fluid droplet is subsequently applied, with the exception that a fluid droplet applied during building up at least one layer of fluid is not cured before an adjacent fluid droplet of the same layer is subsequently applied.

Abstract: A method of preparing a flexographic printing master including an optional elastomeric floor, an optional mesa relief, and an image relief are applied in this order on a flexographic printing support includes applying and curing fluid droplets thereby building up a plurality of layers of fluid on top of each other, wherein each fluid droplet applied is at least partially cured before an adjacent fluid droplet is subsequently applied, with the exception that a fluid droplet applied during building up at least one layer of fluid is not cured before an adjacent fluid droplet of the same layer is subsequently applied.

Abstract: Method for making lithographic aluminum offset printing plates according to the DTR-process by photo-exposing a photosensitive monosheet layer assemblage comprising a hydrophilic aluminum foil, an intermediate layer comprising hydrophobic polymer beads prepared by polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomer(s) and having an average diameter not lower than 0.2 .mu.m, and a silver halide emulsion layer, applying an aqueous alkaline solution to the photo-exposed silver halide emulsion layer in the presence of a developing agent and a silver halide solvent to form a silver image and to allow unreduced silver halide or complexes formed thereof to diffuse image-wise from the developed silver halide emulsion layer to said aluminum foil to produce thereon a silver image, and separating said emulsion layer and said intermediate layer from the imaged aluminum foil. The invention also relates to the photosensitive monosheet layer assemblage used for making such printing plates.

Abstract: Method for making lithographic aluminum offset printing plates according to the DTR-process by photo-exposing a photosensitive monosheet layer assemblage comprising a hydrophilic aluminum foil, an intermediate layer comprising hydrophobic polymer beads prepared by polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomer(s) and having an average diameter not lower than 0.2 .mu.m, and a silver halide emulsion layer, applying an aqueous alkaline solution to the photo-exposed silver halide emulsion layer in the presence of a developing agent and a silver halide solvent to form a silver image and to allow unreduced silver halide or complexes formed thereof to diffuse imagewise from the developed silver halide emulsion layer to said aluminum foil to produce thereon a silver image, and separating said emulsion layer and said intermediate layer from the imaged aluminum foil. The invention also relates to the photosensitive monosheet layer assemblage used for making such printing plates.

Abstract: A stripping film material comprises a polyethylene terephthalate film base serving as temporary support being coated with a subbing layer essentially consisting of either:(1) hydroxypropylcellulose wherein the molar degree of substitution (DS) with hydroxypropyl groups is in the range of 3 to 1, or:(2) a copoly(vinyl acetate/crotonic acid) having a weight ratio of vinyl acetate to crotonic acid in the range of 85/15 to 99/1, wherein said subbing layer is coated with at least one hydrophilic colloid layer which is adapted to be stripped off after being moistened with an aqueous liquid, e.g. by contact with a wet surface of a permanent support.

Abstract: A halftone dot image pattern is formed on a support comprising a paper base, a polyolefin layer on at least one side of said paper base in a coverage in the range of 5 to 40 g/m2, on the opposite side of the polyolefin layer a binder layer comprising a hydrophilic colloid binding agent and white titanium dioxide pigment particles having an average grain size in the range of 200 nm to 450 nm, said pigment particles being present in a coverage of at least 0.5 g per m2 up to 300% by wt of the total binder contents. The half tone dot image pattern is on the exterior side of the binder layer and is a halftone relief image pattern having at least color pigmented gelatin-containing layer, preferably three or four such layers of different colors; e.g., cyan, magenta, yellow and optionally black. The resultant halftone material has a controlled visual appearance; e.g., for color proofing purposes, especially with respect to dot gain.

Abstract: Sheet material including a cellulose acetate temporary support carrying thereon a continuous strippable layer. The strippable layer is a non-photosensitive layer containing a coverage of at most 20 g/m.sup.2 gelatin hardened to a degree corresponding to the addition of at least 0.001 g of formaldehyde per g of gelatin. Transfer of the strippable layer from the temporary support onto an image material having e.g. an imaged hydrophilic colloid layer or relief pattern given improved gloss control and optical dot gain control for such image material.

Abstract: A process for forming a line art of halftone multicolor colloid pattern involves the contact exposure in registration of different colored silver halide emulsion hydrophilic colloid layers each on a temporary support and the hardening development of the individual exposed silver halide emulsion layers in turn after each is transferred to a common intermediate support to form thereon a multi-layer assembly of reverse reading color relief images on top of each other. This assembly together with an underlying stripping layer from the intermediate support is transferred bodily onto a permanent support by adherence to an adhesive layer carried on the latter support to form thereon a right-reading multicolor image that may serve as a color proof.

Abstract: Process for controlling the visual appearance of an image present on a permanent support in the form of a hydrophilic colloid layer, layer system or relief pattern by the transfer of a continuous non-photosensitive layer from a temporary support onto said permanent support either before or after said image is formed thereon, which comprise by pre-wetting the permanent support either image-free or with said image already thereon, containing the pre-wetted support with said continuous layer carried on the temporary support, and stripping off the temporary support to leave the continuous layer adhering on the permanent support, said continuous layer being non-photosensitive and contains hardened gelatin, the gelatin being applied at a coverage of at most 20 g/m2 and having a degree of hardening corresponding with that achieved by the addition of at least 0.001 g of formaldehyde per gram of gelatin.

Abstract: Process for forming a halftone multicolor pattern which comprises in sequence given the following steps:(1) scanningwise exposing a multicolor original attached to a rotating scanner drum to produce series of electrical signals that are fed into a computer,(2) exposing in a single scan separate black-and-white light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer materials under the control of the computer in accordance with said signals,(3) developing the exposed silver halide emulsion layers with a hardening or tanning developing agent producing a negative or positive silver selection image that can be used as intermediate original in the production of a printing plate, a pattern of oxidized hardening developing agent being imagewise transferred during development from the emulsion layer onto a hardenable non-photosensitive colored gelatin layer originally carried on a temporary support or carried directly on a permanent support,(4) producing a colored relief image by wash-off processing of said colored gelating lay