Patent ID: 8088559

Claim:
A method of making a lithographic printing plate including the steps of: a) providing a lithographic printing plate precursor including a support having a hydrophilic surface or which is provided with a hydrophilic layer, a coating on the support including a photopolymerizable layer, and, optionally, an intermediate layer between the photopolymerizable layer and the support, wherein the photopolymerizable layer includes a polymerizable monomer or oligomer including an ethylenically unsaturated compound having at least one terminal ethylenic group and a polymerization initiator; b) image-wise exposing the coating by a laser in a plate setter; c) optionally, heating the precursor in a pre-heating unit; d) developing the precursor by treating the coating of the precursor with a gum solution, thereby removing the non-exposed areas of the photopolymerizable layer from the support; wherein the photopolymerizable layer further includes a polymer containing an acid group and a basic nitrogen-containing compound capable of neutralizing the acid group, or the photopolymerizable layer further includes a polymer containing an acid group which is neutralized by a basic nitrogen-containing compound; and step (d) is carried out off-press in a gumming unit which is mechanically coupled to the plate setter and/or the pre-heating unit by a conveying device and the precursor is shielded from ambient light.