Abstract: A pit gate includes a gate body which is inserted between a pool portion storing water and a canal portion connected to the pool portion and is configured to change a flow state of the water, and a seal portion (6) which is accommodated in a groove-shaped accommodation recess formed in the gate body and seals between the pool portion and the gate body. The seal portion (6) includes a low-rigidity portion (10) which is relatively easily deformed by a load according to a water pressure from the pool portion side, and a high-rigidity portion (11) which is provided on the pool portion side of the low-rigidity portion and is not easily deformed relatively by the load.

Abstract: A pit gate includes a gate body which is inserted between a pool portion storing water and a canal portion connected to the pool portion and is configured to change a flow state of the water, and a seal portion (6) which is accommodated in a groove-shaped accommodation recess formed in the gate body and seals between the pool portion and the gate body. The seal portion (6) includes a low-rigidity portion (10) which is relatively easily deformed by a load according to a water pressure from the pool portion side, and a high-rigidity portion (11) which is provided on the pool portion side of the low-rigidity portion and is not easily deformed relatively by the load.

Abstract: The invention relates to a printing method by an offset printing press and an offset printing press by which a substrate process is carried out for low-whiteness printing paper such as paper for newspaper with aqueous substrate treatment agent so that the print quality can be improved. In the invention, in order to suppress occurrence of a curl of printing paper, substrate treatment agent containing solid fine particles and a binder component is supplied to a printing face of printing paper, and the substrate treatment agent is dried to form a porous layer having a great number of holes having a smaller diameter than that of pigment contained in printing ink from the solid fine particles and the binder resin. Then, offset printing is carried out on the printing paper.

Abstract: A printed item contact member 54 according to the present invention includes: a base material 50; a fixing layer 52 that is formed on the surface of the base material 50 and substantially spherical particles 51 are fixed thereto; and a remarkably thin low-surface-tension coating layer 53 that covers the surface of the fixing layer 52 having the substantially spherical particles 51 fixed thereto and that exhibits release properties with respect to a printed item. The printed item contact member exhibits high ink repellency while maintaining the micro-uneven surface structure and is free from adhesion of yarn waste or dust to the member during cleaning, and therefore can be suitably used as, for example, a member for printing device in contact with the surface of printing paper.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a printing method by an offset printing press and an offset printing press and has an object to carry out a substrate process for low-whiteness printing paper such as paper for newspaper with substrate treatment agent and to enhance the print quality while preventing appearance of muddiness in printing ink by the substrate treatment agent. The present invention is configured such that substrate treatment agent such as low-whiteness enhancement agent is supplied to a printing face of printing paper, and thereafter the substrate treatment agent supplied to the printing face is dried and then offset printing is carried out for the printing paper by a printing apparatus.

Abstract: A method and a system for printing management, with the intension of appropriate color management performed in a newspaper print site in which a number of newspaper rotary presses of two or more types are provided, obtain image data representing each page edited in multilevel image data along with associated data concerning the page and makes a printing plate based on the image data and concurrently select a newspaper rotary press and a print material used for printing the page based on the multilevel image data and the associated data; perform color correction of the multilevel image data in accordance with the types of the selected rotary press and print material based on the color management data previously prepared, which multilevel image data is to be converted into binary image data and used for making a printing plate.

Abstract: A printing method by an offset printing press and an offset printing press are disclosed which suppress occurrence of curl with printing paper while making it possible to improve the printing quality by performing a ground process with aqueous ground processing material for low whiteness printing paper such as newsprint paper. To a printing face of the printing paper, aqueous ground processing material is supplied. At the same time with or later than the supply of the ground processing material, moisture is supplied to a reverse face to the printing face of the printing paper. Thereafter, offset printing is performed for the printing paper.

Abstract: A coating fluid for printing plates which can be suitably used to make printing plates that permit images to be written in response to input digital data and that can be easily regenerated and reused. This coating fluid for printing plates comprises at least a carrier liquid, thermoplastic resin particles and an IR absorber, and the IR absorber has a decomposition starting temperature higher than the melt starting temperature of the thermoplastic resin particles.

Abstract: A method and a system for printing management, with the intension of appropriate color management performed in a newspaper print site in which a number of newspaper rotary presses of two or more types are provided, obtain image data representing each page edited in multilevel image data along with associated data concerning the page and makes a printing plate based on the image data and concurrently select a newspaper rotary press and a print material used for printing the page based on the multilevel image data and the associated data; perform color correction of the multilevel image data in accordance with the types of the selected rotary press and print material based on the color management data previosuluy prepared, which multilevel image data is to be converted into binary image data and used for making a printing plate.

Abstract: Disclosed are a printing plate precursor, a fabrication process of the printing plate precursor, a fabrication process of a printing plate, a regeneration process of the printing plate, a printing press, and a coating formulation for the printing plate precursor. According to the present invention, a printing plate can be fabricated directly from digital data, and sufficient image quality can be obtained without a developing step, i.e., a developer. To permit repeated use of the precursor, the precursor has a surface, which contains a photocatalyst and is capable of showing hydrophilicity when exposed to activating light having energy higher than band gap energy of the photocatalyst.

Abstract: Disclosed are a printing plate precursor, a fabrication process of the printing plate precursor, a fabrication process of a printing plate, a regeneration process of the printing plate, a printing press, and a coating formulation for the printing plate precursor. According to the present invention, a printing plate can be fabricated directly from digital data, and sufficient image quality can be obtained without a developing step, i.e., a developer. To permit repeated use of the precursor, the precursor has a surface, which contains a photocatalyst and is capable of showing hydrophilicity when exposed to activating light having energy higher than band gap energy of the photocatalyst.

Abstract: A printing press, and an apparatus and a process for regenerating a printing plate can repetitiously reuse the same printing plate and shorten time for decomposition of image areas formed by a hydrophobic organic compound under irradiation with activating light to delete the image areas. A process for regenerating a printing plate including a photosensitive layer, formed on the surface of a substrate, having a photocatalyst exhibits hydrophilicity responsive to activating light having energy higher than the photocatalyst's band-gap energy, and one or more hydrophobic image areas, formed on the surface of the photosensitive layer and operable to hold ink, comprises the steps of: removing ink remaining on the printing plate; hydrophilizing the surface of the printing plate by irradiating with the activating light and by heating the printing plate to delete the hydrophobic image areas; and applying an organic compound onto the printing plate.

Abstract: A layered formation, possibly used as a printing plate that is to be mounted to a printing press when performing printing, has a photocatalystic layer including a photocatalyst so that the surface of the photocatalyst layer is rapidly hydrophilized by irradiating with light having a lower irradiating energy. The layered formation or a printing plate includes an intermediate layer having two or more kinds of oxide semiconductors or a solid acid between a substrate and the photocatalyst layer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of regenerating a printing plate, a regenerating apparatus, and a printing press which make it possible to regenerate a printing plate for repetitive use and shorten the time of plate regeneration. In particular, the present invention intends to make it possible to shorten a time for decomposing and removing an image area formed with an organic compound under irradiation of an activating light. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a printing plate, a method of fabricating the printing plate, a layered formation, and a method of fabricating the layered formation. The present invention is arranged to include a photosensitive layer containing a photocatalyst and when the photosensitive layer is applied on the surface thereof with an activating light having an energy level higher than the band gap energy of the photocatalyst under a heating atmosphere, the surface of the photosensitive layer can be swiftly hydrophilized.

Abstract: A coating fluid for printing plates which can be suitably used to make printing plates that permit images to be written in response to input digital data and that can be easily regenerated and reused. This coating fluid for. printing plates comprises at least a carrier liquid, thermoplastic resin particles and an IR absorber, and the IR absorber has a decomposition starting temperature higher than the melt starting temperature of the thermoplastic resin particles.

Abstract: It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a printing plate, a fabricating method thereof, a method of making a printing plate with a print image, a method of reproducing the printing plate with a print image, and a printing press that are capable of reducing the light irradiation energy required for writing an image when making a printing plate and erasing the image when reproducing the printing plate. A printing plate including a photocatalyst layer. The photocatalyst layer contains a photocatalyst TiO2 or a TiO2 compound in a surface thereof. The volume rate of an anatase-type crystal in the total crystal component of the photocatalyst TiO2 or TiO2 compound is between 0.4 and 1.0. The total volume crystallization ratio of the photocatalyst is 20% or greater.

Abstract: A printing plate material which can be adapted to digitization of the printing process and recycled and a method for renewing it. As the printing plate material, there can be used one which includes a substrate on the surface of which a coat layer containing a titanium oxide photocatalyst and at least one member selected from salts or oxides of Fe2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Cr3+, and Cu2+ is formed. In an initial state of the printing plate as prepared, it is adjusted to a state where the surface of the coat layer is hydrophobic. This surface is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to convert a part of the surface to a hydrophilic surface. This conversion is performed based on digital data corresponding to an image to be printed. In this case, the hydrophobic portion is used as a printing image portion and the hydrophilic portion is used as a non-printing image portion.

Abstract: A coating fluid for printing plates which can be suitably used to make printing plates that permit images to be written in response to input digital data and that can be easily regenerated and reused. This coating fluid for printing plates comprises at least a carrier liquid, thermoplastic resin particles and an IR absorber, and the IR absorber has a decomposition starting temperature higher than the melt starting temperature of the thermoplastic resin particles.

Abstract: A printing plate has a surface layer (3) including a photocatalyst that responds to visible light as well as ultraviolet light so that it is possible to form an image on the surface of the printing plate by irradiating with visible light and to regenerate the printing plate by deleting the formed image whereupon the printing plate can be reused.

Abstract: A printing plate has a surface layer (3) which includes a photocatalyst that responds to visible light as well as ultraviolet light and on which a coating (4) made of an organic compound having a hydrophobic group is formed so that it is possible to form an image on the surface of the printing plate by irradiating with visible light and to regenerate the printing plate by deleting the formed image whereupon the printing plate can be reused.