Patent ID: 7060415

Claim:
An imageable element comprising: a substrate having a hydrophilic surface; a photothermal conversion material; an ink-receptive top layer, wherein the top layer is substantially free of the photothermal conversion material, and wherein the top layer is not removable by contact with a developer solution prior to imaging of the element; and an underlayer between the hydrophilic surface and the top layer, the underlayer including a copolymer comprising in polymerized form: a) about 3 to about 50 mol-% of constitutional units derivable from a monomer having a cyclic urea group, the monomer represented by in which R is hydrogen or methyl, X is (C 2 –C 12 ) alkyl, and m is 1 to 3; b) about 20 to about 75 mol-% of constitutional units derivable from N-phenyl-maleimide, N-cyclohexylmaleimide, N-benzylmaleimide, N-(p-carboxyphenyl)maleimide, or a combination thereof; c) about 15 to about 50 mol-% of constitutional units derivable from acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-methoxymethylmethacrylamide, methoxymethylmethacrylate, or a combination thereof; and d) about 5 to about 40 mol-% of constitutional units derivable from acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, vinyl benzoic acid, or a combination thereof; wherein after imaging of the element, exposed areas of the top layer and the underlayer are both removable by contact with the developer solution.