Patent ID: 7060417

Claim:
A method of preventing premature curing of cut surfaces of a photosensitive printing plate, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a photosensitive printing plate comprising: i) a support layer; ii) at least one layer of photocurable material on the support layer; iii) optionally, at least one ablation layer deposited on the one or more layers of photocurable material, wherein the at least one ablation layer is ablatable by a laser at a selected wavelength and power, and wherein the ablation layer comprises a radiation absorbing material that is sensitive to radiation at the selected wavelength and power of the laser; and iv) a coversheet; b) cutting the photosensitive printing plate in a pattern of a desired size and shape; c) removing a portion of the coversheet on a periphery of the cut edges of the printing plate while leaving intact the layer of photocurable material and the optional ablation layer beneath the coversheet; d) applying an edge cure prevention composition to the optional ablation layer or the layer of photocurable material revealed by the removal of the portion of the coversheet; and e) removing the remainder of the coversheet from the photosensitive printing element.