Patent ID: 7089856

Claim:
A method of lithographically printing images on a receiving medium, comprising in order: (a) providing on a lithographic press a lithographic printing member comprising (i) a substrate that is a sheet material or a seamless sleeve mounted on a plate cylinder or is the surface of a plate cylinder of the lithographic press; and (ii) a thermosensitive layer capable of hardening through polymerization upon exposure to an infrared radiation; wherein said thermosensitive layer is soluble or dispersible in ink (for waterless plate) or ink and/or fountain solution (for wet plate), and exhibits an affinity or aversion substantially opposite to the affinity or aversion of said substrate to at least one printing liquid selected from the group consisting of ink and an abhesive fluid for ink; (b) imagewise exposing the plate with the infrared radiation to cause hardening of the thermosensitive layer in the exposed areas; and (c) operating said press to contact said exposed plate with ink or both ink and fountain solution to remove the thermosensitive layer in the non-hardened areas, and to lithographically print images from said plate to the receiving medium.