Patent ID: 7798063

Claim:
A method comprising: exposing a plate on a support surface of an imager using one or more laser beams, the exposing while there is a permeable metallic screen structure having between 60 and 200 through holes per inch and located on the support surface between the plate and the support surface, wherein the screen structure's through holes are permeable to the laser radiation of the laser beams and allow air to pass though the screen structure, the through holes having side walls in the dimension perpendicular to the support surface that are relatively curved walls in the sides of holes, such that when the screen structure is placed on the support surface, the open area of the holes varies with distance from the support surface, such that the amount of back-reflected radiation is reduced compared to the plate being placed directly on the support surface with no screen structure between the plate and support surface, and such that a pattern not reproduced on the plate material by back-reflected radiation, wherein the screen structure is made of a material that is relatively resistant to laser radiation in the range energy densities that would occur at the rear side of a plate during the imaging if no screen structure was located on the support surface.