Patent ID: 7673562

Claim:
A reusable printing plate comprising: a flexible printing surface that can be actuated to create a relief pattern representing an overall image pattern to be printed; an intermediate layer including a plurality of flow paths, each flow path extending through the intermediate layer, the opening and closing of the flow paths controllable by application of an electric field pattern; and a fluid layer disposed such that the intermediate layer is positioned between a fluid contained in the fluid layer and the flexible printing surface, and such that adjusting the fluid pressure in the fluid layer causes said fluid to flow from the fluid layer through open ones of said plurality of flow paths in the intermediate layer to corresponding regions of said flexible printing surface, wherein said fluid is prevented from flowing through closed ones of said plurality of flow paths, whereby said pressurized fluid passed through said open flow paths actuates said corresponding regions of the printing surface, thereby producing said to relief pattern in the flexible printing surface, the relief pattern to approximately match the pattern of open flow paths in the intermediate layer.