PRINTING FORM PRECURSOR HAVING INDICIA AND A METHOD FOR PREPARING A PRINTING FORM FROM THE PRECURSOR

• US 20140087306A1
• Filed: 09/03/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DuPont Electronics, Inc. (DuPont de Nemours, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blomquist, Robert, Lungu, Violeta, Lungu, Adrian, Subramanian, Rajgopal
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 11/02 for securities security printing B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/00 Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor using photoresist structures for special production processes, see the relevant places, e.g. B44C, H01L, e.g. H01L21/00, H05K
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0012 Processes making use of the tackiness of the photolithographic materials, e.g. for mounting; Packaging for photolithographic material; Packages obtained by processing photolithographic materials
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/09 characterised by structural details, e.g. supports, auxiliary layers supports for printing plates in general B41N
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/105 having substances, e.g. indicators, for forming visible images
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/11 having cover layers or intermediate layers, e.g. subbing layers G03F7/091 - G03F7/093, B41N3/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/30 Imagewise removal using liquid means
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/3042 from printing plates transported horizontally through the processing stations

Abstract

The present invention relates to a photosensitive printing form precursor and a method for forming a printing form from the precursor. The precursor includes a support and a layer of a photosensitive composition adjacent the support, in which at least one indicia is disposed between the support and the photosensitive layer. The indicia identifies the precursor, is retained throughout a multi-step process to convert the precursor into a printing form and in the end-use of the printing form.

Claims

1. A printing form precursor comprising:

a) a support; and

,

b) a layer of a photopolymerizable material comprising a binder, a monomer, and a photoinitiator, that is adjacent the support and is sensitive to actinic radiation;

wherein at least one indicia of a text or graphic is disposed between the support and the photopolymerizable layer.

2. The precursor or claim 1 wherein the at least one indicia is transparent to actinic radiation.

3. The precursor of claim 1 wherein the actinic radiation is ultraviolet radiation and the at least one indicia is created with an ink that transmits at least 1% of the ultraviolet radiation.

4. The precursor of claim 1 wherein the actinic radiation is ultraviolet radiation and the at least one indicia is created with an ink that transmits at least 15% of the ultraviolet radiation.

5. The precursor of claim 1 wherein the actinic radiation is ultraviolet radiation between about 300 and 390 nm, and the at least one indicia is created with a blue ink that transmits at least 10% of the actinic radiation.

6. The printing form precursor of claim 1 wherein the indicia is applied on a surface of the support to transmit at least 5% of actinic radiation to the photopolymerizable layer.

7. The precursor of claim 1 wherein the at least one indicia is applied by printing or ink jetting an ink on a surface of the support that is adjacent the photopolymerizable layer.

8. The precursor of claim 1 wherein the at least one indicia is selected from a solid line image or a halftone image.

9. The precursor of claim 1 wherein the indicia in the precursor is viewable in visible light or safelight.

10. The precursor of claim 1 wherein the indicia has a color that sufficiently contrasts with the photopolymerizable layer to be visible.

11. The printing form precursor of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of the indicia forming a pattern with intervals having no indicia.

12. The printing form precursor of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of the indicia forming a pattern with intervals having no indicia, wherein the support has a surface area and the pattern covers 3% to 98% of the surface area.

13. The printing form precursor of claim 1 further comprising an adhesive surface on the support that contacts the photopolymerizable layer, wherein the at least one indicia is disposed on the adhesive surface.

14. The printing form precursor of claim 1 further comprising a floor that comprises a cured layer portion of the photopolymerizable layer that is between the support and an uncured layer portion of the photopolymerizable layer, wherein the at least one indicia is sufficiently transparent to the actinic radiation that the floor has a height and uniformity suitable for relief printing.

15. The printing form precursor of claim 1 wherein the at least one indicia is sufficiently transparent to actinic radiation so that exposure to actinic radiation through the support forms a floor of a cured portion of the photopolymerizable layer.

16. The precursor of claim 1 further comprising a floor that comprises a cured layer portion of the photopolymerizable layer that is exposed to the actinic radiation through the support, wherein the floor has a height h1 at a location having no indicia and a height h2 at a location having the indicia, so that the height h2 equals or is less than 5% of the height h1.

17. A method for preparing a relief printing form comprising:

a) providing a printing form precursor comprising a support, and, a layer of a photopolymerizable material comprising a binder, a monomer, and a photoinitiator, that is adjacent the support and is sensitive to actinic radiation, wherein at least one indicia of text or graphic is disposed between the support and the photopolymerizable layer;

b) blanket exposing the precursor through the support to actinic radiation to form a floor;

c) imagewise exposing the photopolymerizable layer to actinic radiation, creating exposed portions and unexposed portions of the photopolymerizable layer; and

d) treating to remove unexposed portions of the photopolymerizable layer and form a relief surface suitable for printing;

wherein the indicia is present through steps b) through d).

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the actinic radiation is ultraviolet radiation and the at least one indicia transmits at least 10% of the ultraviolet radiation.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the indicia comprises text printed in blue ink that transmits at least 5% of actinic radiation to the photopolymerizable layer.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising applying the at least one indicia by printing or ink jetting an ink on a surface of the support that is adjacent the photopolymerizable layer.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one indicia is selected from a solid line image or a halftone image.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the indicia has a color that sufficiently contrasts with the photopolymerizable layer to be viewable.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein the relief surface comprises a floor of a cured layer portion of the photopolymerizable layer and raise printing elements, and the at least one indicia is sufficiently transparent to the actinic radiation that the floor has a height and uniformity suitable for relief printing.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein the photopolymerizable layer has a thickness and the at least one indicia is sufficiently transparent to actinic radiation so that step b) forms a floor of a cured layer portion of the photopolymerizable layer that is at least 25% of the thickness of the photopolymerizable layer.

25. The method of claim 17 wherein the relief surface comprises a floor of a cured layer portion of the photopolymerizable layer, the floor having a height h1 at a location having no indicia and a height h2 at a location having the indicia, so that the height h2 equals or is less than 5% of the height h1.

26. A method for making a printing form precursor comprising:

a) applying at least one indicia of a text or graphic to a first surface of a support;

b) applying a photopolymerizable material to form a layer between the first surface of the support and a coversheet, so that the at least one indicia is disposed between the support and the photopolymerizable layer and forms a photopolymerizable printing form precursor.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising overall exposing the precursor through the support to actinic radiation.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the applying step is selected from relief printing, gravure printing, lithographic printing, or ink jetting.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the at least one indicia is a continuous line image or a halftone image.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of applying the at least one indicia is conducted offline from or online with the step of applying the photopolymerizable material.