JP2004341500A - Method for forming image and image exposure apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for forming an image by which an image can be formed without performing a liquid development process after exposure of the image and a lithographic printing plate having excellent printing durability can be obtained, and to provide an image exposure apparatus suitable for the method. <P>SOLUTION: In the image exposure apparatus, a lithographic printing original plate 12 attached to an outer drum 20 is scanned by and exposed to IR laser light to form an image corresponding to the image information on a recording layer of the lithographic printing original plate 12. While an arbitrary exposure region A<SB>IR</SB>is exposed to IR laser light, hot air is blown through a hot air nozzle 44 to a heating region A<SB>HT</SB>including the exposure region A<SB>IR</SB>to heat the heating region A<SB>HT</SB>to a specified heating temperature. The recording layer of the lithographic printing original plate 12 contains a photothermal converting agent and a material which can form a surface hydrophobic region by heat. As the material, for example, an acid generating agent and microcapsules encapsulating a cationic polymerizable compound are used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming method and an image exposure apparatus, and more specifically, an image forming method of a lithographic printing plate capable of making a plate without performing scanning exposure of an image with an infrared beam and special liquid development processing, The present invention also relates to an image exposure apparatus used therefor.

  The development of laser technology in recent years has been remarkable, and in particular, solid-state lasers and semiconductor lasers (hereinafter referred to as “infrared lasers” where appropriate) that emit infrared rays with a wavelength of 760 nm to 1200 nm can be easily obtained with high output and small size. Became. In particular, in the field of lithographic printing, these infrared lasers are very useful as a recording light source for a CTP (Computer to Plate) system that directly makes a printing plate from digital data such as a computer.

Accordingly, many studies have been made on the lithographic printing plate for the CTP system. Among them, as an aim to further streamline the process and solve the waste liquid treatment problem, development-free lithographic printing plate precursors that can be printed on a printing press without being developed after exposure have been studied, and various methods have been studied. Has been proposed.
One method of eliminating the development process is to mount the exposed lithographic printing plate precursor on the cylinder of the printing press, and supply dampening water and ink while rotating the cylinder, so that the non-image area of the lithographic printing plate precursor There is a method called on-press development that removes the toner. That is, the lithographic printing plate precursor is exposed and mounted on a printing machine as it is, and the processing is completed in a normal printing process. This eliminates the need for a conventional liquid developing process using developing chemicals, thereby making it possible to rationalize the printing preparation process, eliminate the need for developing waste liquid processing, and the like.

As such a lithographic printing plate precursor, there has been proposed a lithographic printing plate precursor containing a cross-linked hydrophilic layer on a substrate and containing a hot-melt material microencapsulated therein (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .) In this printing plate, the microcapsule is collapsed by the action of heat generated in the laser exposure area, the lipophilic substance in the capsule is dissolved, and the hydrophilic layer surface is hydrophobized.
Other examples using microcapsules that also disintegrate by heat include microcapsules encapsulating a photopolymerizable monomer and a photosensitive resin, and lipophilic components that form an interaction with a three-dimensionally crosslinked hydrophilic layer. A lithographic printing plate precursor using a microcapsule enclosing a liquid crystal has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).
These lithographic printing plate precursors do not require development processing, but when a metal plate such as aluminum is used as a support, heat to be used for image formation diffuses into the support, and the support and the recording layer There is a problem that the recording layer does not sufficiently cure at the interface, the strength of the image area is insufficient, and the printing durability is poor.
International Publication No. 94/23954 Pamphlet Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-250454 Japanese Patent No. 3206297

  An object of the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, is that scanning exposure based on a digital signal enables image formation without passing through a special liquid development processing step, and has excellent printing durability. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method capable of obtaining a lithographic printing plate and an image exposure apparatus used therefor.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventors of the present invention performed image exposure on a lithographic printing plate precursor provided with various recording layers described below, and at the same time, locally specified an area substantially the same as the exposure area of the lithographic printing plate. The inventors have found that the above-mentioned object can be achieved by heating to a temperature range and have solved the present invention.
That is, in the image forming method of the present invention according to claim 1, an image is formed on a lithographic printing plate precursor provided with an image recording layer containing a hydrophobizing precursor and a photothermal conversion agent on a support. An image forming method comprising: scanning exposure of a lithographic printing plate precursor with an infrared beam to form an image on an image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor; and exposing the lithographic printing plate precursor with an infrared beam, A heating area including an arbitrary exposure area irradiated with the infrared beam in the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor is locally changed to a predetermined heating temperature during irradiation of the infrared beam with respect to the exposure area included in the heating area. A heating step of heating.
The hydrophobizing precursor suitably used for the image recording layer according to claim 1 includes (a) microcapsules encapsulating a compound having a thermoreactive group, (b) thermoplastic polymer fine particles, or (c). Examples thereof include fine polymer particles having a thermally reactive group.
The image forming method of the present invention according to claim 3 is a lithographic printing plate precursor comprising an image recording layer containing a polymerizable compound, a polymerization initiator, and a photothermal conversion agent on a support. An image forming method for forming an image by scanning and exposing a lithographic printing plate precursor with an infrared beam to form an image on an image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor, and a lithographic printing plate precursor using an infrared beam In the exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor, a heating area including an arbitrary exposure area irradiated with the infrared beam in the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor is locally changed to a predetermined heating temperature during the exposure to the exposure area included in the heating area. And a heating step of heating to.
The polymerizable compound used in the image recording layer according to the third aspect is preferably applied by being encapsulated in microcapsules, or (e) applied as polymer fine particles having a polymerizable group. Hereinafter, the state where the polymerizable compound is encapsulated in the microcapsule is referred to as “(d) microcapsule encapsulating the polymerizable compound”.
Here, the heating temperature in the heating step is preferably in the range of 35 ° C to 230 ° C, and more preferably in the range of 35 ° C to 200 ° C.

  An image exposure apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is an image exposure apparatus used for the image forming method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a lithographic printing plate precursor can be mounted. A holding member for holding the mounted lithographic printing plate precursor and a lithographic printing plate precursor held by the holding member by scanning exposure with an infrared beam to form an image on the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor An exposure means including: a heating area including an arbitrary exposure area that is irradiated with the infrared beam in an image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor during exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor using an infrared beam. And heating means for locally heating the region to the heating temperature during irradiation with the infrared beam.

Here, the image forming mechanism of the planographic printing plate precursor according to claim 1 will be described. The image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor according to claim 1 contains a hydrophobizing precursor and a photothermal conversion agent, and is characterized by the energy of infrared light in image exposure and the heat generated from the photothermal conversion agent by exposure. The hydrophobized precursor forms a hydrophobic region (image portion) by energy (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as “image exposure energy”). On the other hand, since the unexposed area is hydrophilic, on-press development is possible by supplying dampening water or ink during printing.
Examples of the image recording layer suitable for the lithographic printing plate precursor according to claim 1 include the following first to third image recording layers.

In the image recording layer containing (a) a microcapsule encapsulating a compound having a heat-reactive group (hereinafter referred to as “heat-reactive compound” as appropriate), which is the first embodiment, and a photothermal conversion agent, Depending on the energy of image exposure, the microcapsule wall is disrupted or becomes permeable, and the encapsulated thermoreactive compound is released (exuded) out of the microcapsule, and the thermoreactive compound is polymerized or added. The surface hydrophobic region, that is, the image part is formed by the occurrence of the above. In particular, when the thermally reactive group of the thermally reactive compound is a polymerizable group, it is preferable to include a polymerization initiator in the image recording layer, and this polymerization initiator starts polymerization depending on the energy of image exposure. It generates a reaction-initiating substance (active species) from the agent and starts and advances the polymerization reaction of the thermally reactive compound released (exuded) out of the microcapsule.
In the image recording layer containing the second or third aspect (b) thermoplastic polymer fine particles or (c) polymer fine particles having a thermoreactive group, and a photothermal conversion agent, the image exposure energy depends on the energy of image exposure. The polymer fine particles are fused with each other, or are aggregated with each other by a crosslinking reaction such as a polymerization reaction or an addition reaction to form a surface hydrophobic region, that is, an image portion. Particularly in the third aspect, when the thermally reactive group of the polymer fine particles having a thermally reactive group is a polymerizable group, the image recording layer preferably contains a polymerization initiator. It functions to start and advance the crosslinking (polymerization) reaction of polymer particles.

Next, an image forming mechanism of the planographic printing plate precursor according to claim 3 will be described. The image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor according to claim 3 contains a polymerizable compound, a polymerization initiator, and a photothermal conversion agent, and the polymerizable compound causes a polymerization reaction by the energy of image exposure. Then, a hydrophobic image portion is formed by curing. On the other hand, uncured components in the unexposed area are easily removed by the function of dampening water and ink at the time of printing and the stress applied at the time of printing, allowing on-press development.
Examples of the image recording layer suitable for the lithographic printing plate precursor according to claim 3 include the image recording layers of the following fourth and fifth aspects.

In the image recording layer containing the microcapsule encapsulating the polymerizable compound (d), the polymerization initiator, and the photothermal conversion agent which is the fourth aspect, the microcapsule wall is collapsed by the energy of image exposure. Or becomes permeable and the encapsulated polymerizable compound is released (exuded) out of the microcapsule. Similarly, by the energy of image exposure, the reaction initiator (active species) generated from the polymerization initiator starts and advances the polymerization reaction of the polymerizable compound released (exuded) out of the microcapsule, thereby forming an image portion. It is a mechanism that is done.
In the image recording layer containing the polymer fine particles having a polymerizable group (e), a polymerization initiator, and a photothermal conversion agent, which is the fifth embodiment, the reaction generated from the polymerization initiator by the energy of image exposure The starting material (active species) initiates and advances a crosslinking (polymerization) reaction between polymer fine particles having a polymerizable group, thereby forming an image portion.

  However, in any of these lithographic printing plate precursors, as described above, near the interface between the recording layer and the support, heat is diffused to the support, and unreacted polymerizable compounds and polymerization initiators are present. Residual curing reaction may not be performed, or there may be a region where the polymer fine particles are not sufficiently fused or cross-linked, leading to the formation of a strong and excellent printing durability image. .

  In the image forming method of the present invention, when the lithographic printing plate precursor is subjected to image exposure, energy that does not allow the microcapsule wall material in the non-image part to become permeable, or polymer fine particles in the non-image part are fused together. Alternatively, an area (heated area) including an area (exposure area) exposed by irradiation with an infrared beam of the planographic printing plate precursor with an energy that does not cause a crosslinking reaction is locally applied during the irradiation of the infrared beam to the exposure area. Heating (hereinafter referred to as “simultaneous heating” where appropriate) increases the total amount of thermal energy associated with image formation, and is considered to be capable of forming a strong and excellent printing durability image. Specifically, in the recording layer using microcapsules, the decomposition reaction of the polymerization initiator is accelerated by heating, and more polymerization initiators are activated than in the case of only infrared exposure, and a sufficient amount of activity is obtained. Species are generated and work on the heat-reactive compound or polymerizable compound to start or advance the polymerization reaction or addition reaction, and the mobility of the active species, heat-reactive compound or polymerizable compound is improved by heat. Therefore, progress of polymerization reaction, addition reaction, etc. is promoted. In the case of a fine particle polymer, the amount of heat supplied is increased so that the fine particles are softened and melted quickly, and the fusion between adjacent fine particle surfaces is promoted. Even when fine particles of a type that crosslinks are used, the crosslinking reaction is promoted for the same reason as the polymerization reaction or addition reaction, and it is considered that a strong image portion is formed in any aspect.

  According to the present invention, an image forming method of a lithographic printing plate precursor capable of scanning exposure of an image based on a digital signal and on-press development and having excellent printing durability, and an image exposure apparatus used therefor Can be obtained.

[Configuration of image exposure apparatus]
First, an image exposure apparatus in which an image forming method according to the present invention is preferably implemented will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 show an image exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image exposure apparatus 10 scans and exposes a lithographic printing plate precursor 12 with an infrared laser (hereinafter referred to as “IR laser L”) modulated based on digital image information, and the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 has digital image information. An image (latent image) corresponding to is formed. Here, the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 is a so-called non-processed printing plate that does not require special development processing, and is formed on a support made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy and on this support. An image recording layer is provided, and this image recording layer (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “recording layer”) contains a hydrophobizing precursor or a polymerizable compound and a polymerization initiator, and a photothermal conversion agent. It is characterized by doing. Such a lithographic printing plate precursor will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image exposure apparatus 10 is provided with a casing 14 as an outer shell portion of the apparatus. The casing 14 has a side plate portion on one side along the width direction of the apparatus (direction of arrow W). A plate feeding table 16 for mounting a bundle of lithographic printing plate precursors 12 is attached to the platen plate, and a discharge tray 18 for discharging the exposed lithographic printing plate precursor 12 is provided above the plate feeding table 16. ing. In the casing 14, a cylindrical outer drum 20 on which one lithographic printing plate precursor 12 can be attached and detached is rotatably arranged. On the outer peripheral side of the outer drum 20, a chuck mechanism 22 for chucking the front end portion and the rear end portion of the planographic printing plate precursor 12 on the outer drum 20 is provided, and the planographic printing plate precursor 12 is attached to the outer drum 20. A guide roller 24 for winding on the outer peripheral surface is installed.

  An exposure head 26 facing the outer drum 20 and a feed mechanism 28 that supports the exposure head 26 so as to be movable along the sub-scanning direction are disposed in the casing 14. The exposure head 26 and the feed mechanism 28 scan and expose the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 mounted on the outer drum 20 by the IR laser L modulated based on the digital image information, and digitally record the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 on the recording layer. This is for forming an image corresponding to the image information. In the casing 14, a light source box 30 is disposed on the lower side of the outer drum 20, and an LD light source device 32 (see FIG. 2) for supplying the IR laser L to the exposure head 26 is disposed in the light source box 30. ) Etc. are stored.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image exposure apparatus 10 is provided with a feeding mechanism 34 for transporting the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 loaded on the plate feeding table 16 in the casing 14 to the outer drum 20. Yes. The feeding mechanism 34 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 35 and a plate-shaped guide member 36 arranged along the feeding path of the planographic printing plate precursor 12. Further, the feeding mechanism 34 separates one lithographic printing plate precursor 12 from a bundle of lithographic printing plate precursors 12 stacked on the plate feeding table 16 at the end on the plate feeding table 16 side. A separation mechanism (not shown) for supplying the planographic printing plate precursor 12 to the feeding path is provided.

In the image exposure apparatus 10, when the planographic printing plate precursor 12 is conveyed to the vicinity of the upper end of the outer drum 20 by the feeding mechanism 34, the tip of the planographic printing plate precursor 12 is chucked on the outer drum 20 by the chuck mechanism 22. At the same time, the outer drum 20 starts to rotate in a predetermined forward rotation direction (the direction of arrow R1 in FIG. 1). As a result, the planographic printing plate precursor 12 whose tip is constrained on the outer drum 20 is wound while being pressed onto the outer peripheral surface of the outer drum 20 by the guide roller 24.
In the image exposure apparatus 10, when the planographic printing plate precursor 12 is wound around the outer drum 20 to the rear end portion, the rear end portion of the planographic printing plate precursor 12 is chucked onto the outer drum 20 by the chuck mechanism 22. Thereby, the entire planographic printing plate precursor 12 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the outer drum 20, and the mounting of the planographic printing plate precursor 12 to the outer drum 20 is completed. In the image exposure apparatus 10, the IR laser L emitted from the exposure head 26 while moving the exposure head 26 in the sub-scanning direction by the feed mechanism 28 with the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 mounted on the outer drum 20. Is irradiated onto the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 to perform sub-scanning exposure on the lithographic printing plate precursor 12. Further, the image exposure apparatus 10 can perform main scanning on the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 by rotating the outer drum 20 by a rotation amount corresponding to the main scanning pitch in the forward rotation direction in synchronization with the completion of one sub-scan. Become.

As shown in FIG. 2, the exposure head 26 includes a lens unit 58 that includes a plurality of lenses and the like and forms an imaging optical system, and a pair of support plates that sandwich the tip portions of the plurality of optical fibers 70. A fiber holder 60 made of a transparent protective plate or the like for protecting the tip surface of the optical fiber 70 is provided. The exposure head 26 is mounted on a plate-like carrier 68, and moves along the sub-scanning direction (the direction of arrow S in FIG. 2) together with the carrier 68. Here, the IR lasers L respectively emitted from the plurality of optical fibers 70 form an image on the planographic printing plate precursor 12 mounted on the outer drum 20 by the lens unit 58, and have a beam spot having a predetermined shape and size. Form. That is, the exposure head 26 projects the beam spot of the IR laser L onto a predetermined area (referred to as “exposure area A _IR ”) on the planographic printing plate precursor 12, and this exposure area A _IR is projected in the sub-scanning direction and the main scanning direction. By moving in the scanning direction, an image (latent image) having a two-dimensional extent is formed on the planographic printing plate precursor 12.

  The exposure head 26 according to this embodiment is of a multi-beam type capable of simultaneously projecting a plurality of beam spots onto the planographic printing plate precursor 12, and each of the plurality of beam spots is a planographic printing plate precursor. 12 are arranged along the sub-scanning direction or arranged on a straight line slightly inclined with respect to the sub-scanning direction.

  The feed mechanism 28 includes a pair of guide rails 62 that support the carrier 68 so as to be slidable along the sub-scanning direction, and a screw shaft 66 that is coupled to the motor unit 64. A block-shaped female screw member 69 is fixed to the lower surface of the carrier 68, and a screw shaft 66 is screwed into a female screw hole formed in the female screw member 69. As a result, when the screw shaft 66 is rotated by the motor unit 64, the exposure head 26 is integrated with the carrier 68 along the sub-scanning direction and corresponds to the direction of rotation of the screw shaft 66 (forward direction or reverse direction). It moves by a distance corresponding to the amount of rotation of the screw shaft 66. In the image exposure apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the sub-scanning with respect to the planographic printing plate precursor 12 is performed only when the exposure head 26 moves forward. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the other ends of the plurality of optical fibers 70 are respectively connected to the plurality of semiconductor lasers 72 in the LD light source device 32. The semiconductor laser 72 in the LD light source device 32 is fixed on a plate-shaped heat sink 74. A connector array 76 is provided in the middle of the optical fiber 70, and the optical fiber 70 can be brought into contact with and separated from the fiber holder 60 side and the semiconductor laser 72 side through the connector array 76. . Thereby, for example, when one of the semiconductor lasers LD fails, the failed semiconductor laser 72 can be easily replaced without disassembling the fiber holder 60 or the like.

  In the feed mechanism 28, a tube-shaped cable bear 78 and a hook-shaped bear guide 80 are arranged below the guide rail 62 so as to extend in the sub-scanning direction. The cable bear 78 has a structure in which a large number of link pieces 82 divided in the longitudinal direction are linked and connected in series, and can be bent in the vertical direction. A portion (front end side) of the optical fiber 70 on the exposure head 26 side is inserted into the cable bear 78. Further, the bear guide 80 restricts the movement of the cable bear 78 in the front-rear direction while supporting the cable bear 78 from below. Thereby, when the exposure head 26 moves in the sub-scanning direction, the distal end side of the optical fiber 70 that moves together with the exposure head 26 is protected by the cable bear 78, and damage to the optical fiber 70 is prevented.

  In the image exposure apparatus 10, a heating device 38 is disposed in the casing 14. The heating device 38 locally heats (spots) the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 with hot air, and is connected to the heating fan unit 40 and the heating fan unit 40 through a flexible duct 42 as shown in FIG. A tubular hot air nozzle 44 is provided. The heating fan unit 40 is fixed to the casing 14, and the hot air nozzle 44 is mounted on the carrier 68 together with the exposure head 26. The flexible duct 42 is inserted through the cable bear 78 with a bundle of optical fibers 70 at the tip side.

Here, the hot air nozzle 44 on the carrier 68 is disposed adjacent to the exposure head 26 along the sub-scanning direction. The hot air nozzle 44 is supported so that the base end side thereof extends in parallel with the traveling direction of the IR laser L, and the tip of the hot air nozzle 44 is located on the planographic printing plate precursor 12 from the base end side toward the front end surface. A bend portion 45 bent so as to face the exposure area A _IR is formed. A rectangular air outlet 46 is opened at the distal end surface of the bend portion 45.

The heating fan unit 40 includes a heating unit 48 composed of a halogen heater, a ceramic heater, or the like that heats the air sucked from the outside of the casing 14, and an air supply unit that sends the heated air into the flexible duct 42 in a pressurized state. 50 is provided. The high-temperature air sent into the flexible duct 42 is supplied to the hot air nozzle 44 and blown as hot air from the outlet 46 of the hot air nozzle 44 to the planographic printing plate precursor 12 mounted on the outer drum 20. At this time, since the bend portion 45 of the hot air nozzle 44 is directed to the exposure area A _IR on the planographic printing plate precursor 12, the hot air blown from the outlet 46 is exposed to the exposure area A _{IR on the} planographic printing plate precursor 12. (This is appropriately referred to as “heating area A _HT ”), and the recording layer in the heating area A _HT is heated to a predetermined heating temperature.

Here, the heating region A _HT is the center have substantially coincides with the center of the exposure area A _IR, there is a sufficiently large size than the sub-scanning direction and the exposure area A _IR along the main scanning direction. Thus, the heating region A _HT of the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 on becomes a region that includes an exposure region A _IR, hot air blown out from the blowout opening 46, any exposed IR laser L is of the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 simultaneously irradiated to the region a _IR, blown to the heating region a _HT including the exposure region a _IR, heating region a exposed region a _IR is during exposure to the completion exposed from the start exposure by IR laser L _HT is heated to a predetermined heating temperature.
However, the exposure time from the start of exposure of an arbitrary exposure area A _IR by the IR laser L to the completion of exposure is substantially the same as the modulation period of the IR laser L corresponding to the sub-scanning speed. It is a short time of about 05 seconds. In such a short time, in order to heat the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 to a desired heating temperature with hot air, for example, it is necessary to make the temperature of the hot air extremely high, which is not practical. Therefore, 50 to 100 times longer than Satoshi of the heating region A _HT exposure region A _IR along the sub-scanning direction, a hot air heating for an arbitrary exposure region A _IR included in the heating region A _HT modulation period 10 It is preferable to be able to continue over ⁶ to 10 ⁷ times or more. As a result, the heating time for an arbitrary exposure area A _IR can be sufficiently extended, so that the exposure area A _IR can be stably heated to a predetermined heating temperature without significantly increasing the hot air temperature.

Further, the image exposure apparatus 10 is provided with a heating control unit (not shown) for controlling the heating device 38, and this heating control unit is a temperature of hot air supplied from the heating fan unit 40 to the hot air nozzle 44. And control the air flow respectively. The measurement signal equipped with a temperature sensor such as an infrared radiation thermometer on the carrier 68, the temperature (surface temperature) of the heating region A _HT by the temperature sensor is measured, corresponding to the surface temperature of the heating region A _HT center May be output to the heating control unit. As a result, the heating control unit can feedback control the temperature of the heating area A _HT based on the measurement signal, so that the temperature of the central area of the heating area A _HT is accurately and stably maintained at the heating temperature. become able to.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image exposure apparatus 10 is provided with a carry-out mechanism 84 for carrying the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 detached from the outer drum 20 to the discharge tray 18 in the casing 14. The unloading mechanism 84 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 86 and a plate-shaped guide member 88 arranged along the unloading path of the planographic printing plate precursor 12.

  In the image exposure apparatus 10, after the exposure (image formation) to the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 mounted on the outer drum 20 is completed, the outer drum 20 is rotated in the reverse direction (in the direction of arrow R <b> 2 in FIG. 1) and the chuck mechanism 22. The rear end and the front end of the planographic printing plate precursor 12 are sequentially released from the outer drum 20. In conjunction with this, the carry-out mechanism 84 rotates the transport roller 86 to start transporting the planographic printing plate precursor 12 sent from the outer drum 20 to the entrance of the discharge path to the discharge tray 18. The printing plate precursor 12 is discharged onto the discharge tray 18.

The heating device 38 of the image exposure apparatus 10 according to the present invention, directly into a lithographic printing plate precursor 12 surface and by blowing hot air is intended to heat the spot heating region A _HT of the lithographic printing plate precursor 12, such The heating device is not limited to those using hot air. For example, an infrared radiator such as a halogen heater or a ceramic heater is mounted on the carrier 68, and the lithographic printing plate precursor 12 is irradiated with infrared rays from the radiator. Even if the heating area _AHT is spot-heated, a magnetron is mounted on the carrier 68, and the recording layer of the planographic printing plate precursor 12 is irradiated with an electromagnetic wave having a predetermined wavelength generated by the magnetron. Even if a substance such as water is resonated to perform spot heating (electromagnetic wave heating), an electromagnetic coil is mounted on the carrier 68 and a high frequency from this electromagnetic coil is obtained. The magnetic field is applied to the metallic support of the lithographic printing plate precursor 12, the support member may be spot inductively heating.

  When performing the electromagnetic wave heating, for the purpose of effectively absorbing the electromagnetic wave and converting it to heat energy, it is preferable to include a component that can resonate with the electromagnetic wave and generate heat in the recording layer component. For example, in the case of using a commonly used 240 Hz electromagnetic wave, water corresponds to that component, and therefore, by containing a compound that retains water such as a hydrophilic resin or a water-soluble compound in the recording layer component, Water retention in the recording layer can be improved and efficient heat generation can be generated. Examples of the hydrophilic resin used herein include those described in the section of the hydrophilic resin described later in this specification. Among them, polysaccharides such as arabic rubber, soya rubber, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, polyacrylic acid, High molecular compounds having a hydroxyl group in the molecule such as sodium polyacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate and polyvinyl alcohol, and low molecular weight compounds such as sorbitol and glycerin are preferred from the viewpoint of improving the water retention of the recording layer.

The lithographic printing plate precursor thus image-exposed and discharged from the image-exposure apparatus is then mounted on a printing machine without performing special development with a liquid developer, and using ink and fountain solution. Printing can be performed by a normal procedure. That is, the unexposed portion of the lithographic printing plate precursor after exposure is easily removed by an aqueous component contained in the fountain solution or an oily component such as ink in the initial stage of the printing process. Is exposed, and dampening water adheres to it to form a non-image area, and the hydrophobic area cured by exposure forms an ink-receptive image area.
These lithographic printing plate precursors can also be used for printing after being subjected to a development treatment using water or an appropriate aqueous solution as a developer.

The lithographic printing plate precursor imaged by the method of the present invention is a so-called on-press development type because the image area is sufficiently cured by the function of the heating step performed locally and efficiently and the strength of the image area is excellent. The high printing durability, which has been a problem in lithographic printing plates, has been realized, and it has become possible to obtain a large number of good printed matter.
Needless to say, the method of the present invention can be applied not only to scanning exposure based on digital data using an infrared laser but also to image exposure based on analog data as long as an infrared beam is used.

[Configuration of lithographic printing plate precursor]
Next, the configuration of a lithographic printing plate precursor that can be suitably applied to the method of the present invention and that can form an image without requiring a liquid development processing step will be described in detail.
-Image recording layer according to claim 1-
The image recording layer according to claim 1 contains a hydrophobizing precursor and a photothermal conversion agent, and the hydrophobizing precursor forms a hydrophobic region (image portion) by image exposure energy. Features.
Examples of the image recording layer suitable for the lithographic printing plate precursor according to claim 1 include the following first to third image recording layers.

[(A) Microcapsules enclosing a compound having a heat-reactive group, and an image recording layer containing a photothermal conversion agent]
The image recording layer according to the first aspect is a material containing microcapsules encapsulating (a) a compound having a thermoreactive group (thermally reactive compound) as a hydrophobizing precursor capable of forming a surface hydrophobic region by heat. It is characterized by using. When the heat-reactive group in the heat-reactive compound is a polymerizable group, it is preferable to contain a polymerization initiator that generates a reaction-initiating substance (active species) by image exposure energy. Here, the polymerization initiator and the photothermal conversion agent may be added to at least one of the inside of the microcapsule and the outside of the microcapsule, that is, in the recording layer matrix. From the viewpoint of storage stability, the polymerization initiator is preferably added to the recording layer matrix, and the photothermal conversion agent is preferably added to the microcapsules from the viewpoint of sensitivity.

((A) Microcapsule enclosing a compound having a thermally reactive group)
The thermally reactive group in the thermally reactive compound according to the first aspect is, for example, an ethylenic group that undergoes a radical polymerization reaction as a functional group common to that in (c) a fine particle polymer having a thermally reactive group described later. Saturated group (for example, acryloyl group, methacryloyl group, vinyl group, allyl group), cationically polymerizable group (for example, vinyl group, vinyloxy group, epoxy group, etc.), isocyanate group that performs addition reaction, or block thereof, and reaction partner A functional group having an active hydrogen atom (for example, an amino group, a hydroxy group, a carboxy group), an epoxy group that undergoes an addition reaction, an amino group that is a reaction partner, a carboxy group or a hydroxy group, a carboxy group that undergoes a condensation reaction And hydroxy group or amino group, acid anhydride that performs ring-opening addition reaction, and amino group or hydroxy group And the like. The thermally reactive group used in the present invention is not limited to these, and may be any functional group that performs any reaction as long as a chemical bond is formed. Among such heat-reactive compounds, a cationic polymerizable compound and a radical polymerizable compound are preferable.

<Cationically polymerizable compound>
The cationically polymerizable compound used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound having a cationically polymerizable group in the molecule. Among them, a compound having a vinyloxy group or an epoxy group is preferably used.

Examples of the cationically polymerizable compound having a vinyloxy group suitable for the present invention include compounds described in JP-A-2002-29162.
Specifically, tetramethylene glycol divinyl ether, trimethylolpropane trivinyl ether, tetraethylene glycol divinyl ether, pentaerythritol divinyl ether, pentaerythritol trivinyl ether, pentaerythritol tetravinyl ether, 1,4-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy } Benzene, 1,2-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} benzene, 1,3-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} benzene, 1,3,5-tris {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} benzene, 4,4′-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} biphenyl, 4,4′-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} diphenyl ether, 4,4′-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyl Xyl} diphenylmethane, 1,4-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} naphthalene, 2,5-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} furan, 2,5-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} thiophene, , 5-bis {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} imidazole, 2,2-bis [4- {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} phenyl] propane, bis (vinyloxyethyl) ether of bisphenol A, 2,2-bis {4- (vinyloxymethyloxy) phenyl} propane, 2,2-bis {4- (vinyloxy) phenyl} propane and the like, among others, 2,2-bis [4- {2- (vinyloxy) ethyloxy} Phenyl] propane, bis (vinyloxyethyl) ether of bisphenol A, 2, - bis {4- (vinyloxymethyl) phenyl} propane, 2,2-bis {4- (vinyloxy) phenyl} propane are especially preferred. The present invention is not limited to these.

  As the cationically polymerizable compound having an epoxy group suitable for the present invention, a compound having two or more epoxy groups is preferable, and a glycidyl ether compound obtained by a reaction of a polyhydric alcohol or a polyhydric phenol with epichlorohydrin or the like. Examples thereof include a prepolymer, and a polymer or copolymer of glycidyl acrylate or glycidyl methacrylate.

  Specific examples include propylene glycol diglycidyl ether, tripropylene glycol diglycidyl ether, polypropylene glycol diglycidyl ether, neopentyl glycol diglycidyl ether, trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether, diglycidyl ether of hydrogenated bisphenol A, hydroquinone di- Glycidyl ether, resorcinol diglycidyl ether, diglycidyl ether or epichlorohydrin polyadduct of bisphenol A, diglycidyl ether or epichlorohydrin polyadduct of bisphenol F, diglycidyl ether of halogenated bisphenol A or epichloro Hydrine polyadduct, diglycidyl ether of biphenyl type bisphenol or epichlorohydrin polyadduct, novolac resin Examples include glycidyl etherified products, methyl methacrylate / glycidyl methacrylate copolymer, ethyl methacrylate / glycidyl methacrylate methacrylate, and the like. Among them, diglycidyl ether or epichlorohydrin polyadduct of bisphenol A, Diglycidyl ether or epichlorohydrin polyadduct of halogenated bisphenol A, diglycidyl ether or epichlorohydrin polyadduct of biphenyl type bisphenol are particularly preferred. The present invention is not limited to these.

  Commercially available products of the above compounds include, for example, Epicoat 1001 (molecular weight: about 900, epoxy equivalent: 450 to 500), Epicoat 1002 (molecular weight: about 1600, epoxy equivalent: 600 to 700), Epicoat 1004 (about) manufactured by Japan Epoxy Resin Co., Ltd. 1060, epoxy equivalent 875-975), Epicoat 1007 (molecular weight about 2900, epoxy equivalent 2000), Epicoat 1009 (molecular weight about 3750, epoxy equivalent 3000), Epicoat 1010 (molecular weight about 5500, epoxy equivalent 4000), Epicoat 1100L (epoxy equivalent) 4000), Epikote YX31575 (epoxy equivalent 1200), Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. Sumiepoxy ESCN-195XHN, ESCN-195XL, ESCN-195XF, and the like.

<Radically polymerizable compound>
The radically polymerizable compound used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has an ethylenically unsaturated bond in the molecule.
Examples of the functional group containing an ethylenically unsaturated bond (hereinafter, ethylenically unsaturated group) include acryloyl group, methacryloyl group, vinyl group, allyl group and the like, and at least one, preferably two or more of these. The compound which has is used suitably. Such a group of compounds is widely known as a monomer or a crosslinking agent for a radically polymerizable compound in the industrial field, and in the present invention, these can be used without any particular limitation. The chemical form is a monomer, a prepolymer, that is, a dimer, a trimer, an oligomer, a polymer or a copolymer, or a mixture thereof.

Examples of the radical polymerizable compound suitable for the present invention include compounds having an ethylenically unsaturated group described in JP-A No. 2001-277740.
Typical examples are trimethylolpropane di (meth) acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol di (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol tri (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol tetra (meth) acrylate, dipentaerythritol. Examples include di (meth) acrylate, dipentaerythritol penta (meth) acrylate, dipentaerythritol hexa (meth) acrylate, adducts of trimethylolpropane diacrylate and xylylene diisocyanate.
Examples of the polymer or copolymer in the form of a compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group include allyl methacrylate copolymer, allyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer, allyl methacrylate / ethyl methacrylate copolymer, and allyl methacrylate. / Butyl methacrylate copolymer.
Of these, dipentaerythritol tetraacrylate and allyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer are particularly preferable. The present invention is not limited to these.

<Other thermally reactive compounds>
Furthermore, the inclusion of the microcapsule according to the first aspect may contain other heat-reactive compounds listed below in addition to the heat-polymerizable compound.
Examples of the thermally reactive group include an isocyanate group that undergoes an addition reaction, a block thereof, and a functional group having an active hydrogen atom that is a reaction partner with the cationic polymerizable group or the ethylenically unsaturated group (for example, Amino group, hydroxy group, carboxy group, etc.),
A carboxy group that performs a condensation reaction, and a hydroxy group and an amino group that are reaction partners thereof,
Examples thereof include an acid anhydride that undergoes a ring-opening addition reaction, and an amino group and a hydroxy group that are reaction partners thereof.

  Suitable compounds having an isocyanate group for the present invention include tolylene diisocyanate, diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polymethylene polyphenyl polyisocyanate, xylylene diisocyanate, naphthalene diisocyanate, cyclohexanephenylene diisocyanate, isophorone diester. Examples thereof include isocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, cyclohexyl diisocyanate, and compounds obtained by blocking these with alcohol or amine.

  Examples of the compound having an amino group suitable for the present invention include ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, hexamethylenediamine, propylenediamine, and polyethyleneimine.

  Examples of the compound having a hydroxy group suitable for the present invention include compounds having a terminal methylol group, polyhydric alcohols such as pentaerythritol, and bisphenol / polyphenols.

  Examples of the compound having a carboxy group suitable for the present invention include aromatic polyvalent carboxylic acids such as pyromellitic acid, trimellitic acid, and phthalic acid, and aliphatic polyvalent carboxylic acids such as adipic acid.

  Suitable acid anhydrides for the present invention include pyromellitic acid anhydride and benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid anhydride.

  In the image recording layer of the first aspect, when the photothermal conversion agent and the polymerization initiator are added to the microcapsules, they are encapsulated by being dissolved or dispersed in the same solvent as the above-mentioned inclusions. Further, usable photothermal conversion agents and polymerization initiators will be described later.

  As a method for microencapsulating each of the above components, known methods can be applied. For example, as a method for producing microcapsules, a method using coacervation as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,800,547 and 2,800,498, British Patent No. 990443, U.S. Pat. No. 3,287,154, Japanese Patent Publication No. 38-19574, No. 42-446. No. 42-711, interfacial polymerization method, US Pat. No. 3,418,250, US Pat. No. 3,660,304, method of polymer precipitation, US Pat. No. 3,796,669, method using isocyanate polyol wall material, US Pat. US Pat. No. 3,914,511 shows a method using an isocyanate wall material, US Pat. Nos. 4001140, 4087376, and 4089802 use a urea-formaldehyde-based or urea-formaldehyde-resorcinol-based wall forming material, A method using a wall material such as melamine-formaldehyde resin and hydroxycellulose, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,445, an in situ method by monomer polymerization as shown in JP-B Nos. 36-9163 and 51-9079, British Patent No. 930422, US Pat. No. 3,111,407 And the like, but are not limited thereto, such as the spray drying method found in British Patent Nos. 952807 and 967074.

  A preferable microcapsule wall material used in the present invention has properties that it can swell in a coating solvent and can form a three-dimensional crosslink. From such a viewpoint, the wall material of the microcapsule is preferably polyurea, polyurethane, polyester, polycarbonate, polyamide, and a mixture thereof, and particularly preferably polyurea and polyurethane. Further, a compound having a thermally reactive group may be introduced into the microcapsule wall.

  The average particle diameter of the obtained microcapsules is preferably 0.01 to 3.0 μm, more preferably 0.05 to 2.0 μm, and particularly preferably 0.10 to 1.0 μm. Within this range, good resolution and stability over time can be obtained.

  In such a microcapsule, when the capsule wall material is disintegrated or becomes permeable by heat, the encapsulated thermoreactive compound is released into the system, and a curing reaction occurs and proceeds. When the heating temperature in the process reaches a temperature at which the capsule wall material becomes permeable, an undesired curing reaction occurs in the non-image area, and the non-image area is likely to be soiled. It is preferable that the upper limit is a temperature lower than the temperature at which the temperature becomes lower, preferably 30 ° C. lower than the temperature at which the capsule wall material becomes permeable. The temperature at which the capsule wall material becomes permeable varies depending on the material forming the capsule wall material and the thickness of the wall material.For example, when an adduct of trimethylolpropane and xylylene diisocyanate is used as a microcapsule wall material, When the reaction product of trimethylolpropane and xylylene diisocyanate adduct, Millionate MR-200 (Nippon Polyurethane aromatic isocyanate) and tetraethylenepentamine is used as the wall material It is about 278 degreeC.

  Further, such microcapsules may be combined with each other by heat, or may not be combined. In short, the microcapsule inclusions may ooze out from the surface of the microcapsule or outside the microcapsule by image exposure to cause a curing reaction. In particular, when the thermally reactive compound is the polymerizable compound, the polymerizable compound that has exuded to the surface of the microcapsule or outside the microcapsule chemically reacts with a reaction initiator (active species) generated from the polymerization initiator described later. Or a reaction initiator may enter the microcapsule wall to cause a chemical reaction with the polymerizable compound. Further, the polymerizable compound may react with a hydrophilic resin or a low molecular compound described later which is added as an optional component to the recording layer. In addition, the microcapsules may be reacted with each other by providing the microcapsules with different functional groups that are thermally reacted with each other. Therefore, it is preferable for image formation that the microcapsules are melted and united by heat, but it is not essential.

  The amount of such microcapsules added to the recording layer is preferably 50% by mass or more, and more preferably 70 to 98% by mass, based on the total solid content of the image recording layer. Within this range, a good image can be formed and good printing durability can be obtained.

In the recording layer containing microcapsules, a solvent capable of dissolving the inclusions of the microcapsules and swelling the wall material can be added to the microcapsule dispersion medium. By adding such a solvent, the diffusion of the microcapsule inclusions outside the capsule is promoted during image exposure.
Such a solvent depends on the microcapsule dispersion medium, the material of the microcapsule wall, the wall thickness, and the inclusion, but can be easily selected from many commercially available solvents. For example, in the case of a water-dispersible microcapsule comprising a crosslinked polyurea or polyurethane wall, alcohols, ethers, acetals, esters, ketones, polyhydric alcohols, amides, amines, fatty acids and the like are preferable.

  Specific compounds include methanol, ethanol, tertiary butanol, n-propanol, tetrahydrofuran, methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, methyl ethyl ketone, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, γ-butyl lactone, N, Examples include N-dimethylformamide and N, N-dimethylacetamide, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Two or more of these solvents may be used in combination. A solvent that does not dissolve alone in the microcapsule dispersion medium but dissolves by mixing the above-mentioned solvents can also be used.

  The amount of such a solvent added depends on the combination of materials, but usually 5 to 95% by mass of the recording layer coating solution is effective, and a preferable range is 10 to 90% by mass, and a more preferable range is 15 It is -85 mass%.

(Photothermal conversion agent)
In the image recording layer of the first aspect, it is necessary to add a photothermal conversion agent having a function of absorbing light energy and converting it into heat. In this case, a photothermal conversion agent may be added to at least one of the inside of the microcapsule and the recording layer matrix. In the present invention, from the viewpoint that infrared energy can efficiently contribute to image formability, It is preferable to add.
The photothermal conversion agent may be any substance that absorbs infrared rays, particularly near infrared rays (wavelength 700 to 1200 nm), and various known pigments, dyes or pigments, and metal fine particles can be used.

  For example, the pigments, dyes or dyes described in JP 2001-301350 A, JP 2002-137562 A, Journal of the Japan Printing Society, Vol. 38, pages 35 to 40 (2001) “New imaging materials, 2. Near-infrared absorbing dyes”, etc. Dyes and fine metal particles are preferably used. As these pigments and metal fine particles, those subjected to a known surface treatment can be used as necessary.

  More specifically, as dyes or pigments, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,756,993 and 4,973,572, JP-A-10-268512, JP-A-11-235883, JP-B-5-13514, JP-A-5-19702, and JP-A-2001-2001. Examples thereof include cyanine dyes, polymethine dyes, azomethine dyes, squarylium dyes, pyrylium and thiopyrylium salt dyes, dithiol metal complexes, and phthalocyanine dyes described in No. 347765. Particularly preferred are cyanine dyes, squarylium dyes, pyrylium salts, and phthalocyanine dyes.

Examples of the pigment include insoluble azo pigments, azo lake pigments, condensed azo pigments, chelate azo pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, anthraquinone pigments, perylene and perinone pigments, thioindigo pigments, quinacridone pigments, dioxazine pigments, isoindolinone pigments, Kinophthalone pigments, dyed lake pigments, azine pigments, nitroso pigments, nitro pigments, natural pigments, fluorescent pigments, inorganic pigments, carbon black, and the like can be used. Of these, carbon black is preferred.
As the metal fine particles, fine particles of Ag, Au, Cu, Sb, Ge and Pb are preferable, and fine particles of Ag, Au and Cu are more preferable.

  Specific examples of particularly suitable photothermal conversion agents are shown below, but the present invention is not limited thereto. (IR-1) to (IR-12) are hydrophilic photothermal conversion agents suitable for addition to the image recording layer matrix, and (IR-21) to (IR-30) A lipophilic photothermal conversion agent suitable for inclusion in capsules.

  When added to the microcapsule, the addition amount of the photothermal conversion agent is preferably 1 to 50% by mass, more preferably 3 to 25% by mass based on the total content of the microcapsules. On the other hand, when the photothermal conversion agent is added to the image recording layer matrix, 1 to 50% by mass of the solid content of the recording layer is preferable, and 3 to 25% by mass is more preferable. In this range, good sensitivity can be obtained without impairing the film strength of the recording layer.

(Polymerization initiator)
In the first aspect of the present invention, when the heat-reactive compound is a polymerizable compound, a reaction initiator is generated in the image recording layer by the energy of image exposure to initiate and accelerate the reaction of the polymerizable compound. It preferably contains a polymerization initiator. In this case, a polymerization initiator may be added to at least one of the inside of the microcapsule and the image recording layer matrix. From the viewpoint of stability, the recording layer matrix is present so as to be separated from the polymerizable compound and the microcapsule wall. It is preferable to add in.
Examples of the polymerization initiator used in the present invention include known acid generators or radical generators. The former is used when a cationic polymerizable compound is used as the polymerizable compound in the microcapsule. The latter is also used when a radical polymerizable compound is used as the polymerizable compound.
It is also possible to form a printing system in combination with a dye that changes color due to the generated acid or radical.
Hereinafter, these polymerization initiators will be described.

<Acid generator>
The acid generator used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it generates heat by absorbing heat. As such an acid generator, known acid precursors and acid generators are preferably used, and examples thereof include acid generators for print-out image formation, acid generators used in microresists, and the like. It is done.

More specifically, organic halogen compounds typified by trihalomethyl-substituted heterocyclic compounds described in JP-A-2002-29162, JP-A-2002-46361, JP-A-2002-137562, etc., iminosulfonates, etc. And compounds capable of generating a sulfonic acid by photolysis represented by (2), disulfone compounds, onium salts (for example, iodonium salts, diazonium salts, sulfonium salts, etc.). Moreover, the compound which introduce | transduced the group or compound which generate | occur | produces these acids into the polymer principal chain or side chain can also be used.
Hereinafter, although a specific example is given, this invention is not limited to these.

Two or more of the above acid generators can be used in combination.
The addition amount of the acid generator is preferably 0.01 to 20% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass based on the total solid content of the recording layer. Within this range, good reaction initiation or acceleration effect can be obtained without impairing on-press developability.

<Radical generator>
The radical generator used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can generate heat by absorbing heat. As such a radical generator, a known thermal radical generator is preferably used, and examples thereof include a photoinitiator for photoradical polymerization.
Specifically, compounds that generate sulfonic acid, disulfone compounds, onium salts (for example, iodonium salts, diazonium salts, sulfonium salts, etc.) mentioned as the acid generator may be used as radical generators. it can.
Specific examples include the compounds (AI-1) to (AI-17), (AN-1) to (AN-8) and (AS-1) to (AS-12) mentioned above. However, the present invention is not limited to these.

Two or more of the above radical generators can be used in combination.
The addition amount of the radical generator is preferably 0.01 to 20% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass, based on the total solid content of the recording layer. Within this range, good reaction initiation or acceleration effect can be obtained without impairing on-press developability.

  In the method of the present invention, the microcapsule wall material is permeable by accelerating the decomposition of the polymerization initiator (acid generator or radical generator) by heating performed at the same timing as the image exposure in the heating step. The effect of improving the efficiency of the curing reaction between the polymerizable compound released into the system and the polymerization initiator can be obtained. For this reason, the heating temperature is preferably not less than the temperature at which the decomposition of the polymerization initiator starts and accelerates, and more preferably 10 ° C. above the decomposition temperature. The decomposition temperature of the polymerization initiator varies depending on the type of the compound. For example, in the case of diphenyliodonium trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (AI-7; an acid generator exemplified in the present specification), it is about 160 ° C., and triphenylsulfonium. In the case of benzoyl formic acid (AS-11; a radical generator exemplified in the present specification), the temperature is about 200 ° C.

  The recording layer according to the present invention can be added with a compound that changes color by an acid or a radical in order to generate a printout image. As such a compound, various dyes such as diphenylmethane, triphenylmethane, thiazine, oxazine, xanthene, anthraquinone, iminoquinone, azo, and azomethine are effectively used.

  Specific examples include brilliant green, ethyl violet, methyl green, crystal violet, basic fuchsin, methyl violet 2B, quinaldine red, rose bengal, methanyl yellow, thymol sulfophthalein, xylenol blue, methyl orange, paramethyl red, Congo Fred, Benzopurpurin 4B, α-Naphthyl Red, Nile Blue 2B, Nile Blue A, Methyl Violet, Malachide Green, Parafuchsin, Victoria Pure Blue BOH [manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.], Oil Blue # 603 [Orient Chemical Kogyo Co., Ltd.], Oil Pink # 312 [Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.], Oil Red 5B [Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.], Oil Scarlet # 308 [Orient Gaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.], Oil Red OG [Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.], Oil Red RR [Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.], Oil Green # 502 [Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.], Spiron Red BEH Special [made by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.], m-cresol purple, cresol red, rhodamine B, rhodamine 6G, sulforhodamine B, auramine, 4-p-diethylaminophenyliminonaphthoquinone, 2-carboxyanilino-4-p- Diethylaminophenyliminonaphthoquinone, 2-carboxystearylamino-4-pN, N-bis (hydroxyethyl) amino-phenyliminonaphthoquinone, 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-p-diethylaminophenylimino-5-pyrazolone, 1-β-naphthyl-4- - dyes and p of diethylamino phenyl imino-5-pyrazolone, p ', p "- hexamethyl triamnotriphenylmethane (leuco crystal violet), and a leuco dye such as Pergascript Blue SRB (manufactured by Ciba-Geigy).

  In addition to the above, a leuco dye known as a material for thermal paper or pressure-sensitive paper is also suitable. Specific examples include crystal violet lactone, malachite green lactone, benzoylleucomethylene blue, 2- (N-phenyl-N-methylamino) -6- (Np-tolyl-N-ethyl) amino-fluorane, 2-anilino. -3-methyl-6- (N-ethyl-p-toluidino) fluorane, 3,6-dimethoxyfluorane, 3- (N, N-diethylamino) -5-methyl-7- (N, N-dibenzylamino) ) -Fluorane, 3- (N-cyclohexyl-N-methylamino) -6-methyl-7-anilinofluorane, 3- (N, N-diethylamino) -6-methyl-7-anilinofluorane, 3 -(N, N-diethylamino) -6-methyl-7-xylidinofluorane, 3- (N, N-diethylamino) -6-methyl-7-chloro Fluorane, 3- (N, N-diethylamino) -6-methoxy-7-aminofluorane, 3- (N, N-diethylamino) -7- (4-chloroanilino) fluorane, 3- (N, N-diethylamino) -7-chlorofluorane, 3- (N, N-diethylamino) -7-benzylaminofluorane, 3- (N, N-diethylamino) -7,8-benzofluorane, 3- (N, N-dibutyl) Amino) -6-methyl-7-anilinofluorane, 3- (N, N-dibutylamino) -6-methyl-7-xylidinofluorane, 3-piperidino-6-methyl-7-anilinofluorane 3-pyrrolidino-6-methyl-7-anilinofluorane, 3,3-bis (1-ethyl-2-methylindol-3-yl) phthalide, 3,3-bis (1-n-butyl- -Methylindol-3-yl) phthalide, 3,3-bis (p-dimethylaminophenyl) -6-dimethylaminophthalide, 3- (4-diethylamino-2-ethoxyphenyl) -3- (1-ethyl- 2-methylindol-3-yl) -4-zaphthalide, 3- (4-diethylaminophenyl) -3- (1-ethyl-2-methylindol-3-yl) phthalide, and the like.

  A suitable addition amount of the dye that changes color by acid or radical is a ratio of 0.01 to 10% by mass with respect to the solid content of the recording layer.

(Hydrophilic resin)
In the image recording layer matrix of the first aspect, a hydrophilic resin may be contained for improving the on-press developability and the film strength of the recording layer itself.
As hydrophilic resin, what has hydrophilic groups, such as a hydroxyl group, an amino group, a carboxy group, a phosphoric acid group, a sulfonic acid group, an amide group, is preferable, for example. In addition, the hydrophilic resin reacts with a heat-reactive group encapsulated in the microcapsule or a reactive group included in the polymer fine particles described later to crosslink and increase the image strength. It preferably has a group that reacts with the functional group. For example, when the cationically polymerizable compound has a vinyloxy group or an epoxy group, the hydrophilic resin preferably has a hydroxy group, a carboxy group, a phosphoric acid group, a sulfonic acid group, or the like. Among these, a hydrophilic resin having a hydroxy group or a carboxy group is preferable.

  Specific examples of hydrophilic resins include gum arabic, casein, gelatin, starch derivatives, soya gum, hydroxypropylcellulose, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose and its sodium salt, cellulose acetate, sodium alginate, vinyl acetate-maleic acid copolymers, styrene-malein Acid copolymers, polyacrylic acids and their salts, polymethacrylic acids and their salts, homopolymers and copolymers of hydroxyethyl methacrylate, homopolymers and copolymers of hydroxyethyl acrylate, homopolymers and copolymers of hydroxypropyl methacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate Homopolymers and copolymers, hydroxybutyl methacrylate homopolymers and copolymers, Homopolymers and copolymers of butyl acrylate, polyethylene glycols, hydroxypropylene polymers, polyvinyl alcohols, hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate having a degree of hydrolysis of at least 60% by weight, preferably at least 80% by weight, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, acrylamide Homopolymers and copolymers, methacrylamide homopolymers and copolymers, N-methylolacrylamide homopolymers and copolymers, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid homopolymers and copolymers, 2-methacryloyloxyethylphosphonic acid And homopolymers and copolymers thereof.

  The amount of the hydrophilic resin added is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or less, based on the total solid content of the recording layer.

  Further, the hydrophilic resin may be used after being cross-linked to such an extent that an unexposed portion can be developed on-press on a printing press. Examples of crosslinking agents used to crosslink hydrophilic resins include glyoxal, melamine formaldehyde resins, aldehydes such as urea formaldehyde resins, N-methylol urea, N-methylol melamine, methylol compounds such as methylolated polyamide resins, and divinyl. Active vinyl compounds such as sulfone and bis (β-hydroxyethylsulfonic acid), epoxy compounds such as epichlorohydrin and polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, polyamide, polyamine, epichlorohydrin adduct, polyamide epichlorohydrin resin, monochloroacetic acid Ester compounds such as esters and thioglycolic acid esters, polycarboxylic acids such as polyacrylic acid and methyl vinyl ether / maleic acid copolymer, boric acid, titanyl sulfate, C , Al, Sn, V, inorganic crosslinking agents such as Cr salts, and modified polyamide polyimide resin. In addition, crosslinking catalysts such as ammonium chloride, silane coupling agents, titanate coupling agents, and the like can be used in combination.

(Other additives)
In addition to the above, various compounds may be added to the recording layer matrix of the first embodiment as necessary.
<Multifunctional monomer>
A polyfunctional monomer can be added to the recording layer matrix of the first embodiment in order to further improve the printing durability. As this polyfunctional monomer, those exemplified as the monomer put in the microcapsule can be used. Among them, preferable monomers include trimethylolpropane triacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, and the like. The addition amount of the polyfunctional monomer is preferably 0.1 to 50% by mass, and more preferably 0.5 to 30% by mass in the total solid content of the recording layer.

<Thermal polymerization inhibitor>
A small amount of a thermal polymerization inhibitor may be added to the recording layer matrix of the first embodiment in order to prevent unnecessary thermal polymerization of the ethylenically unsaturated compound during preparation or storage of the recording layer coating solution. desirable. Suitable thermal polymerization inhibitors include hydroquinone, p-methoxyphenol, di-t-butyl-p-cresol, pyrogallol, t-butylcatechol, benzoquinone, 4,4'-thiobis (3-methyl-6-t-butylphenol ), 2,2'-methylenebis (4-methyl-6-t-butylphenol), N-nitroso-N-phenylhydroxylamine aluminum salt and the like. The addition amount of the thermal polymerization inhibitor is preferably 0.01 to 5% by mass in the total solid content of the recording layer.

<Higher fatty acids or their derivatives>
In the recording layer matrix of the first aspect, if necessary, a higher fatty acid such as behenic acid or behenic acid amide or a derivative thereof is added to prevent polymerization inhibition by oxygen, and after coating, It may be unevenly distributed on the surface of the recording layer in the course of drying. The addition amount of the higher fatty acid or its derivative is preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass in the total solid content of the recording layer.

<Inorganic fine particles>
Inorganic fine particles may be added to the recording layer matrix of the first aspect, and suitable examples of inorganic fine particles include silica, alumina, magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, magnesium carbonate, calcium alginate, or a mixture thereof. Even if they are not photothermally convertible, they can be used for strengthening the film and enhancing the interfacial adhesion by surface roughening.
The average particle size of the inorganic fine particles is preferably 5 nm to 10 μm, more preferably 10 nm to 1 μm. Within this range, the microcapsules and the metal fine particles of the photothermal conversion agent are both stably dispersed in the hydrophilic resin, the film strength of the recording layer is sufficiently maintained, and the non-hydrophilic material having excellent hydrophilicity that hardly causes printing stains. An image portion can be formed.
Such inorganic fine particles can be easily obtained as a commercial product such as a colloidal silica dispersion. The content of the inorganic fine particles in the recording layer is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or less, based on the total solid content of the recording layer.

<Surfactant>
In the recording layer matrix of the first embodiment, JP-A-2-195356, JP-A-59-121044, JP-A-4 / 19904 are provided for improving the dispersion stability of the recording layer, plate making, printing performance and coating properties. Nonionic, anionic, cationic, amphoteric or fluorine surfactants described in JP-A-13149 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-169731 can be added. A suitable addition amount of these surfactants is 0.005 to 1% by mass of the total solid content of the recording layer.

<Plasticizer>
In the recording layer matrix of the first embodiment, a plasticizer can be added as needed to impart flexibility of the coating film. For example, polyethylene glycol, tributyl citrate, diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, tricresyl phosphate, tributyl phosphate, trioctyl phosphate, tetrahydrofurfuryl oleate and the like are used.

[(B) Image Recording Layer Containing Thermoplastic Polymer Fine Particles and Photothermal Conversion Agent]
The image recording layer according to the second aspect of the present invention is characterized by containing thermoplastic polymer fine particles and a photothermal conversion agent.

((B) Thermoplastic polymer fine particles)
The thermoplastic polymer fine particles used in the second embodiment are not particularly limited as long as the surface hydrophobic region, that is, the image portion can be formed by heat.
Examples of the thermoplastic polymer fine particles used in the present invention include Research Disclosure No. 1 of January 1992. 33303, JP-A-9-123387, JP-A-9-131850, JP-A-9-171249, JP-A-9-171250, EP931647, and the like are preferable examples.
Specific examples of the polymer constituting the thermoplastic polymer fine particles include homopolymers of monomers such as ethylene, styrene, vinyl chloride, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, vinylidene chloride, acrylonitrile, and vinylcarbazole. Mention may be made of polymers or copolymers or mixtures thereof. Among them, more preferred are polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate.

The average particle size of the thermoplastic polymer fine particles used in the present invention is preferably 0.01 to 2.0 μm. Since these are very fine particles, they can be fused and united with each other even with a small amount of heat energy to form a hydrophobic region, and upon completion of the application of the heat energy, it is cooled and cured to form a strong image area. .
As a method for synthesizing such thermoplastic polymer fine particles, in addition to emulsion polymerization and suspension polymerization, these compounds are dissolved in a water-insoluble organic solvent, and this is mixed and emulsified with an aqueous solution containing a dispersant. Further, there is a method (solution-dispersing method) in which heat is applied to solidify into fine particles while the organic solvent is blown away.
The softening temperature of these thermoplastic polymer fine particles is preferably 35 ° C. or higher, but more preferably 70 ° C. or higher in view of stability over time. Further, when such thermoplastic polymer fine particles are applied to the recording layer according to the present invention, the post-heating temperature is 10 ° C. lower than the softening temperature in order to suppress fusion of the fine particles in an undesired region. Is preferred.

  (B) When the thermoplastic polymer fine particles are added to the recording layer as a hydrophobic precursor, the amount added is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more, based on the total solid content of the image recording layer. The addition amount may be 100% by mass, but is preferably 90% by mass or less from the viewpoint of the stability of the fine particles.

(Photothermal conversion agent)
In the image recording layer of the second embodiment, it is necessary to add a photothermal conversion agent having a function of absorbing light energy and converting it into heat. As the photothermal conversion agent used here, the same photothermal conversion agent as that mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

(Hydrophilic resin)
A hydrophilic resin can be added to the image recording layer of the second embodiment in order to improve the on-press developability and the film strength of the recording layer itself. As the hydrophilic resin used here, the same hydrophilic resin as mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

(Other additives)
If necessary, the image recording layer of the second aspect can be added with the polyfunctional monomer, higher fatty acid or derivative thereof, inorganic fine particles, surfactant, plasticizer, etc. described in the first aspect. . As these components, the same additives as those mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

[(C) Image Recording Layer Containing Thermally Reactive Group-Containing Polymer Fine Particles and Photothermal Conversion Agent]
The image recording layer of the third aspect is characterized by containing polymer fine particles having a heat-reactive group and a photothermal conversion agent. In the case where the thermally reactive group is a polymerizable group, it is preferable to contain a polymerization initiator that generates a reaction initiating substance (active species) by image exposure energy.

((C) Polymer fine particles having thermally reactive groups)
The polymer fine particles having a heat-reactive group as a hydrophobizing precursor used in the third embodiment have a heat-crosslinkable functional group in the polymer, and are cured by forming a cross-linked structure with each other by heating. A polymer having a so-called thermoreactive functional group capable of forming a hydrophobic region by forming an interaction between a thermosetting polymer fine particle exhibiting a non-melting property and an adjacent fine particle by heat. It can be divided into fine particles.

<Thermosetting polymer fine particles>
Examples of the thermosetting polymer include a resin having a phenol skeleton, a urea resin (for example, a urea derivative such as urea or methoxymethylated urea formed by resination with an aldehyde such as formaldehyde), a melamine resin (for example, melamine or Examples thereof include those obtained by converting the derivatives into resins with aldehydes such as formaldehyde, alkyd resins, unsaturated polyester resins, polyurethane resins, and epoxy resins. Among these, resins having a phenol skeleton, melamine resins, urea resins and epoxy resins are particularly preferable.

  Here, as a resin having a suitable phenol skeleton, for example, a phenol resin obtained by resinizing phenol, cresol or the like with an aldehyde such as formaldehyde, a hydroxystyrene resin, N- (p-hydroxyphenyl) methacrylamide, p- Examples thereof include a polymer or copolymer of methacrylamide or acrylamide or methacrylate or acrylate having a phenol skeleton such as hydroxyphenyl methacrylate.

The average particle diameter of the thermosetting polymer fine particles used in the present invention is preferably 0.01 to 2.0 μm.
Further, the curing temperature of these thermosetting polymer fine particles is preferably 70 ° C. or higher, and more preferably 100 ° C. or higher.
Such thermosetting polymer fine particles can be easily obtained by a known dissolution and dispersion method, but may be formed into fine particles when the thermosetting polymer is synthesized. However, the present invention is not limited to these methods.

<Polymer fine particles having thermally reactive functional groups>
The heat-reactive functional group of the polymer fine particle having a heat-reactive functional group used in the third aspect may be any functional group that performs any reaction as long as a chemical bond is formed by heat. Good. For example, an ethylenically unsaturated group (for example, acryloyl group, methacryloyl group, vinyl group, allyl group, etc.), a cationic polymerizable group (for example, vinyl group, vinyloxy group, epoxy group, etc.), an addition reaction, etc. Isocyanate group to be performed or block thereof, epoxy group, vinyloxy group and functional group having an active hydrogen atom as a reaction partner thereof (for example, amino group, hydroxy group, carboxy group, etc.), carboxy group to perform condensation reaction, and reaction Preferable examples include a hydroxy group or amino group which is a partner, an acid anhydride which performs a ring-opening addition reaction, and an amino group or hydroxy group which is a reaction partner.

Introduction of these heat-reactive functional groups into the polymer fine particles may be performed at the time of polymerization, or may be performed using a polymer reaction after the polymerization.
When introduced at the time of polymerization, it is preferable to carry out emulsion polymerization or suspension polymerization of the monomer having the above-mentioned heat-reactive functional group.

  Specific examples of the monomer having a thermally reactive functional group include allyl methacrylate, allyl acrylate, vinyl methacrylate, vinyl acrylate, 2- (vinyloxy) ethyl methacrylate, p-vinyloxystyrene, p- {2- (vinyloxy) ethyl. } Block isocyanates with styrene, glycidyl methacrylate, glycidyl acrylate, 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate or alcohols thereof, block isocyanates with 2-isocyanate ethyl acrylate or alcohols thereof, 2-aminoethyl methacrylate, 2-aminoethyl acrylate , 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic anhydride, bifunctional acrylate Although such bifunctional methacrylate, present invention is not limited thereto.

  In the present invention, a copolymer of these monomers and a monomer that is copolymerizable with these monomers and does not have a thermally reactive functional group can also be used. Examples of the copolymerizable monomer having no heat-reactive functional group include styrene, alkyl acrylate, alkyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, and the like, as long as the monomer has no heat-reactive functional group. However, it is not limited to these.

  Examples of the polymer reaction used when the heat-reactive functional group is introduced after polymer polymerization include the polymer reaction described in WO96-34316.

Among the polymer fine particles having the heat-reactive functional group, those in which the polymer fine particles are easily fused and coalesced by heat are preferable from the viewpoint of image formability, and from the viewpoint of on-press developability, It is particularly preferable that the surface is hydrophilic and can be dispersed in water.
In addition, the coating contact angle (water droplets in the air) when coated with only fine polymer particles with heat-reactive functional groups and dried at a temperature lower than the solidification temperature is dried at a temperature higher than the solidification temperature. It is preferable that the contact angle is lower than the contact angle (water droplets in the air). In order to make the surface of the polymer fine particle hydrophilic in such a preferable state, a hydrophilic polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol or polyethylene glycol, or an oligomer or a hydrophilic low molecular weight compound may be adsorbed on the surface of the polymer fine particle. However, the surface hydrophilization method of the fine particles is not limited to this, and various known surface hydrophilization methods can be applied.

The average particle diameter of the polymer fine particles having a heat-reactive functional group used in the present invention is preferably 0.01 to 2.0 μm, more preferably 0.05 to 2.0 μm, particularly 0.1 to 1.0 μm. Is the best. Within this range, good resolution and stability over time can be obtained.
Further, the melting point of the polymer fine particles having these heat-reactive functional groups is preferably 70 ° C. or higher, and more preferably 100 ° C. or higher in view of the temporal stability. Furthermore, when applying such polymer fine particles having a thermoreactive functional group to the recording layer according to the present invention, the post-heating temperature is preferably 10 ° C. or more higher than the glass transition temperature of the polymer fine particles, The melting point is preferably 10 ° C. or lower. By setting the glass transition temperature or higher, the mobility of the reactive group is improved and the crosslinking reaction is promoted. For example, the glass transition temperature of styrene and glycidyl methacrylate copolymer is about 60 ° C., and the suitable post-heating temperature is about 80 ° C.

  (C) The addition amount in the case where polymer fine particles having a heat-reactive group are added to the recording layer as a hydrophobizing precursor is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more, based on the total solid content of the image recording layer. The addition amount may be 100% by mass, but is preferably 90% by mass or less from the viewpoint of the stability of the fine particles.

(Photothermal conversion agent)
In the image recording layer of the third aspect, it is necessary to add a photothermal conversion agent having a function of absorbing light energy and converting it into heat. As the photothermal conversion agent used here, the same photothermal conversion agent as that mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

(Polymerization initiator)
In the image recording layer of the third aspect, when the thermally reactive group of the polymer fine particles having the thermally reactive group is a polymerizable group, a reaction initiator is generated by image exposure energy, and the polymerizable property is It is preferable to add a polymerization initiator that initiates and accelerates the reaction of the compound. As the polymerization initiator used here, the same polymerization initiators as those mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

(Hydrophilic resin)
A hydrophilic resin can be added to the image recording layer of the third embodiment in order to improve the on-press developability and the film strength of the recording layer itself. As the hydrophilic resin used here, the same hydrophilic resin as mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

(Other additives)
If necessary, the image recording layer of the third aspect may contain the polyfunctional monomer, higher fatty acid or derivative thereof, inorganic fine particles, surfactant, plasticizer, etc. described in the first aspect. . As these components, the same additives as those mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

-Image recording layer according to claim 3-
The image recording layer according to claim 3 contains a polymerizable compound, a polymerization initiator, and a photothermal conversion agent, and the polymerizable compound causes a polymerization reaction to be cured by image exposure energy. And forming a hydrophobic image portion.
In addition, as the polymerizable compound used here, the cationic polymerizable compound, the radical polymerizable compound, or (d) the microcapsule encapsulating the polymerizable compound described in the first aspect, or the third described above. Examples of the heat-reactive group in the polymer fine particles having a heat-reactive group described in the embodiment include (e) polymer fine particles having a polymerizable group having a polymerizable group. Among these, the polymerizable compound used in claim 3 is preferably (d) microcapsules encapsulating the polymerizable compound or (e) polymer fine particles having a polymerizable group.
Further, the image recording layer according to claim 3 is not necessarily hydrophilic, and may be a hydrophobic layer containing a hydrophobic resin to be described later for the purpose of improving the film strength of the image portion, for example. Good.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the image recording layer according to claim 3 will be described.

[(D) Image Recording Layer Containing Microcapsules Encapsulating Polymerizable Compound, Polymerization Initiator, and Photothermal Conversion Agent]
The image recording layer of the fourth aspect is characterized by containing a microcapsule encapsulating a polymerizable compound, a polymerization initiator, and a photothermal conversion agent.

((D) Microcapsule encapsulating polymerizable compound)
Examples of the microcapsules encapsulating the polymerizable compound used in the fourth embodiment include microcapsules encapsulating the polymerizable compound similar to the cationic polymerizable compound or radical polymerizable compound described in the first embodiment. be able to. Further, the microencapsulation method of the polymerizable compound, the microcapsule wall material, the average particle diameter of the microcapsules, the disintegration or permeation temperature of the microcapsules, and the like are the same as those described in the first embodiment.
The addition amount to the recording layer of the microcapsules encapsulating the polymerizable compound used in the fourth embodiment is 10 to 90% by mass of the solid content before the image recording layer from the viewpoint of image formability and printing durability. Is preferable, and it is more preferable that it is 30-60 mass%.

(Polymerization initiator)
In the image recording layer of the fourth aspect, it is necessary to add a polymerization initiator that generates a reaction initiator by the energy of image exposure and starts and accelerates the reaction of the polymerizable compound. As the polymerization initiator used here, the same polymerization initiator as that mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used. The polymerization initiator may be added to at least one of the inside of the microcapsule and the outside of the microcapsule (in the matrix of the recording layer), and the preferable addition amount is the same as in the first embodiment.

(Photothermal conversion agent)
In the image recording layer of the fourth aspect, it is necessary to add a photothermal conversion agent having a function of absorbing light energy and converting it into heat. As a photothermal conversion agent used here, the thing similar to the photothermal conversion agent quoted in the image recording layer of said 1st aspect can be used. The photothermal conversion agent may be added to at least one of the inside of the microcapsule and the outside of the microcapsule (in the matrix of the recording layer), and the preferable addition amount thereof is the same as in the first embodiment.

(Hydrophobic resin)
A hydrophobic resin can be added to the image recording layer matrix of the fourth embodiment in order to improve the film strength of the image area. As the hydrophobic resin that can be used, conventionally known ones can be used without limitation, and a linear organic polymer having a film property is preferable. Examples of such polymers include acrylic resin, polyvinyl acetal resin, polyurethane resin, polyurea resin, polyimide resin, polyamide resin, epoxy resin, methacrylic resin, polystyrene resin, novolac phenolic resin, polyester resin, synthetic rubber, Natural rubber is mentioned.
In order to further improve the film strength of the image area, the hydrophobic resin preferably has a thermally reactive group. For example, a polymer in which an ethylenically unsaturated bond is introduced into a main chain or a side chain of a polymer can be used. Examples of a polymer having an ethylenically unsaturated bond in the main chain of a molecule include poly-1 4-butadiene, poly-1,4-isoprene, and the like. Examples of the polymer having an ethylenically unsaturated bond in the side chain of the molecule include an ester or amide polymer of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, and an ester or amide residue (R of -COOR or -CONHR ) May have a polymer having an ethylenically unsaturated bond.
The addition amount of the hydrophobic resin to the image recording layer is preferably 5 to 50% by mass of the solid content before the image recording layer from the viewpoint of compatibility between the removability of the non-image area and the film strength of the image area. More preferably, it is 10-30 mass%.

(Other additives)
In the image recording layer matrix of the fourth aspect, if necessary, the hydrophilic resin, polyfunctional monomer, higher fatty acid or derivative thereof, inorganic fine particles, surfactant, plasticizer, etc. described in the first aspect Can be added. As these components, the same additives as those mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

[(E) Image Recording Layer Containing Polymer Fine Particles Having Polymerizable Group, Polymerization Initiator, and Photothermal Conversion Agent]
The image recording layer of the fifth aspect is characterized by containing polymer fine particles having a polymerizable group, a polymerization initiator, and a photothermal conversion agent.

((E) Polymer fine particles having a polymerizable group)
Examples of the polymer fine particle having a polymerizable group used in the fifth aspect include those having a polymerizable group as the thermally reactive group in the polymer fine particle having a thermally reactive group described in the third aspect. The same applies to the synthesis method, average particle diameter, reaction temperature, and the like.
The addition amount of the polymer having a polymerizable group used in the fifth embodiment to the recording layer is preferably 10 to 90% by mass of the solid content before the image recording layer from the viewpoint of image forming property and printing durability. 30 to 60% by mass is more preferable.

(Polymerization initiator)
In the image recording layer of the fifth aspect, it is necessary to add a polymerization initiator that generates a reaction initiator by the energy of image exposure and starts and accelerates the reaction of the polymerizable compound. As the polymerization initiator used here, the same polymerization initiator as that mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the preferable addition amount thereof is also the same.

(Photothermal conversion agent)
In the image recording layer of the fifth aspect, it is necessary to add a photothermal conversion agent having a function of absorbing light energy and converting it into heat. As the photothermal conversion agent used here, the same photothermal conversion agent as mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the preferable addition amount is also the same.

(Hydrophobic resin)
A hydrophobic resin can be added to the image recording layer of the fifth aspect in order to improve the film strength of the image area. As the hydrophobic resin that can be used, the same hydrophobic resins as those mentioned in the image recording layer of the fourth aspect can be used, and the preferable addition amount is also the same.

(Other additives)
If necessary, the image recording layer of the fifth aspect is added with the hydrophilic resin, polyfunctional monomer, higher fatty acid or derivative thereof, inorganic fine particles, surfactant, plasticizer, etc. described in the first aspect. can do. As these components, the same additives as those mentioned in the image recording layer of the first aspect can be used, and the addition amount is preferably in the same range.

(Formation of image recording layer)
Each of the image recording layers of the first to fifth aspects is formed by preparing and applying a coating solution by dissolving or dispersing the necessary components in a solvent. Solvents used here include ethylene dichloride, cyclohexanone, methyl ethyl ketone, methanol, ethanol, propanol, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, 1-methoxy-2-propanol, 2-methoxyethyl acetate, 1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate, dimethoxy Examples include ethane, methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, N, N-dimethylacetamide, N, N-dimethylformamide, tetramethylurea, N-methylpyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, sulfolane, γ-butyrolactone, toluene, water and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this. These solvents are used alone or in combination. The solid content concentration of the coating solution is preferably 1 to 50% by mass.

The recording layer coating amount (solid content) on the support obtained after coating and drying varies depending on the use, but is generally preferably 0.5 to 5.0 g / m ² . As the coating amount decreases, the apparent sensitivity increases, but the film properties of the recording layer that performs the image recording function decrease.
Various methods can be used as a coating method. Examples thereof include bar coater coating, spin coating, spray coating, curtain coating, dip coating, air knife coating, blade coating, and roll coating.

[Overcoat layer]
The lithographic printing plate precursor according to the present invention is provided on the recording layer in order to protect the surface of the recording layer from contamination with lipophilic substances during storage, scratches during handling, fingerprint trace contamination due to finger contact, and the like. An overcoat layer containing a water-soluble resin described in JP-A-162961 and JP-A-2002-19318 can be provided.

  Specific examples of water-soluble resins used in the overcoat layer include natural gums such as gum arabic, water-soluble soybean polysaccharide, fiber derivatives (eg, carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, etc.), modified products thereof, For synthetic polymers such as white dextrin, pullulan, and enzymatically degraded etherified dextrin, polyvinyl alcohol (polyvinyl acetate having a hydrolysis rate of 65% or more), polyacrylic acid, its alkali metal salt or amine salt, and polyacrylic acid Polymer, alkali metal salt or amine salt thereof, polymethacrylic acid, alkali metal salt or amine salt thereof, vinyl alcohol / acrylic acid copolymer and alkali metal salt or amine salt thereof, polyacrylamide, copolymer thereof, polyhydroxy Ethyl acrylate, Polyvinyl Lupyrrolidone, its copolymer, polyvinyl methyl ether, vinyl methyl ether / maleic anhydride copolymer, poly-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, its alkali metal salt or amine salt, poly-2 -Acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid copolymer, its alkali metal salt or amine salt. Depending on the purpose, two or more of these resins may be mixed and used. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

  The overcoat layer may contain a photothermal conversion agent in order to improve sensitivity. A preferable photothermal conversion agent includes a water-soluble infrared absorbing dye. For example, (IR-1) to (IR-11) shown in the description of the recording layer are preferably used.

  In addition, a nonionic surfactant can be mainly added to the overcoat layer in the case of aqueous solution coating for the purpose of ensuring the uniformity of coating. Specific examples of such nonionic surfactants include sorbitan tristearate, sorbitan monopalmitate, sorbitan trioleate, stearic acid monoglyceride, polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene dodecyl ether and the like. . The proportion of the nonionic surfactant in the overcoat layer in the total solid is preferably 0.05 to 5 mass%, more preferably 1 to 3 mass%.

  Furthermore, the overcoat layer can contain a compound having any one of fluorine atoms and silicon atoms described in JP-A No. 2001-341448 in order to prevent sticking between plates during stacking and storage.

  The thickness of the overcoat layer according to the present invention is preferably 0.1 to 4.0 μm, and more preferably 0.1 to 1.0 μm. Within this range, it is possible to prevent the recording layer from being contaminated by an oleophilic substance without impairing the removability of the overcoat layer on the printing press.

[Support]
The support that can be used for the lithographic printing plate precursor according to the present invention is a dimensionally stable plate-like material, for example, paper, paper laminated with plastic (for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, etc.), Metal plate (eg, aluminum, zinc, copper, etc.), plastic film (eg, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose nitrate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polycarbonate , Polyvinyl acetal, etc.), paper or plastic film on which the above metal is laminated or vapor-deposited. A preferable support is an aluminum plate.

The aluminum plate is a pure aluminum plate and an alloy plate containing aluminum as a main component and containing a trace amount of different elements. Further, a plastic is laminated on a thin film of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Examples of foreign elements contained in the aluminum alloy include silicon, iron, manganese, copper, magnesium, chromium, zinc, bismuth, nickel, and titanium. The content of foreign elements in the alloy is at most 10% by mass. Further, it may be an aluminum plate from an aluminum ingot using a DC casting method or an aluminum plate from an ingot by a continuous casting method. However, as the aluminum plate applied to the present invention, conventionally known and publicly available aluminum plates can be used as appropriate.
The thickness of the substrate used in the present invention is 0.05 mm to 0.6 mm, preferably 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm, and particularly preferably 0.15 mm to 0.3 mm.

Prior to using the aluminum plate, it is preferable to perform a surface treatment such as roughening the surface or anodizing. By the surface treatment, it becomes easy to improve hydrophilicity and secure adhesion to the recording layer.
The surface of the aluminum plate is roughened by various methods. For example, a method of mechanically roughening, a method of electrochemically dissolving and roughening the surface, and a method of selectively dissolving the surface chemically. By the method. As the mechanical method, a known method such as a ball polishing method, a brush polishing method, a blast polishing method, or a buff polishing method can be used. As a chemical method, a method of immersing in a saturated aqueous solution of an aluminum salt of a mineral acid as described in JP-A No. 54-31187 is suitable. In addition, as an electrochemical surface roughening method, there is a method of performing alternating current or direct current in an electrolytic solution containing an acid such as hydrochloric acid or nitric acid. Further, as disclosed in JP-A-54-63902, an electrolytic surface roughening method using a mixed acid can also be used. The roughening by the method as described above is preferably performed in such a range that the center line average roughness (Ra) of the surface of the aluminum plate is 0.2 to 1.0 μm.

  The roughened aluminum plate is subjected to alkali etching treatment using an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide as necessary, and further neutralized, and then anodized to increase wear resistance as desired. Processing is performed.

As the electrolyte used for the anodizing treatment of the aluminum plate, various electrolytes that form a porous oxide film can be used. In general, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, oxalic acid, chromic acid, or a mixed acid thereof is used. The concentration of these electrolytes is appropriately determined depending on the type of electrolyte. The treatment conditions for anodization vary depending on the electrolyte used, and thus cannot be specified in general. However, in general, the electrolyte concentration is 1 to 80% by mass solution, the liquid temperature is 5 to 70 ° C., and the current density is 5 to 60 A / day. dm ² , voltage 1 to 100 V, and electrolysis time 10 seconds to 5 minutes are suitable. The amount of the oxide film to be formed is preferably 1.0 to 5.0 g / m ² , particularly 1.5 to 4.0 g / m ² .

  As the support used in the present invention, the substrate having the above-mentioned surface treatment and having an anodized film may be used as it is, but for further improvement in adhesion to the upper layer, hydrophilicity, resistance to contamination, heat insulation and the like. If necessary, an aqueous solution containing an anodized film micropore enlargement treatment, micropore sealing treatment, and a hydrophilic compound described in JP-A Nos. 2001-253181 and 2001-322365 The surface hydrophilization treatment to be immersed can be appropriately selected and performed.

  Suitable hydrophilic compounds for the hydrophilization treatment include polyvinylphosphonic acid, sulfonic acid group-containing compounds, saccharide compounds, citric acid, alkali metal silicates, potassium zirconium fluoride, phosphate / inorganic fluorine compounds, and the like. Can be mentioned.

  When using a support with insufficient surface hydrophilicity such as a polyester film as the support that can be used in the present invention, it is desirable to apply a hydrophilic layer to make the surface hydrophilic. As the hydrophilic layer, at least one element selected from beryllium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, titanium, boron, germanium, tin, zirconium, iron, vanadium, antimony and transition metal described in JP-A-2001-199175 is used. A hydrophilic layer formed by applying a coating solution containing an oxide or hydroxide colloid is preferred. Among these, a hydrophilic layer formed by applying a coating solution containing a silicon oxide or hydroxide colloid is preferable.

  In the present invention, before applying the recording layer, an inorganic undercoat layer such as a water-soluble metal salt such as zinc borate described in JP-A-2001-322365, or An organic subbing layer containing carboxymethylcellulose, dextrin, polyacrylic acid or the like can be provided. The undercoat layer can contain the photothermal conversion agent.

  As described above, a lithographic printing plate precursor to which the method of the present invention can be applied can be obtained. This lithographic printing plate precursor is an on-press development type lithographic printing plate precursor to which the image forming method of the present invention is applied, an image is formed by infrared irradiation and can be subjected to a printing process without undergoing a development process.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention in detail, this invention is not limited to these.

[Production of support]
Clean in molten metal of JIS A1050 alloy containing 99.5% by mass or more of aluminum, Fe; 0.30% by mass, Si; 0.10% by mass, Ti; 0.02% by mass, Cu; Was cast and cast. In the cleaning process, a degassing process was performed to remove unnecessary gases such as hydrogen in the molten metal, and a ceramic tube filter process was performed. The casting method was a DC casting method. The solidified 500 mm thick ingot was chamfered 10 mm from the surface and homogenized at 550 ° C. for 10 hours so as not to coarsen the intermetallic compound.
Next, after hot rolling at 400 ° C. and intermediate annealing at 500 ° C. for 60 seconds in a continuous annealing furnace, cold rolling was performed to obtain an aluminum rolled plate having a plate pressure of 0.30 mm. By controlling the roughness of the rolling roll, the centerline average surface roughness Ra after cold rolling was controlled to 0.2 μm. Then, it applied to the tension leveler in order to improve planarity.

Next, the surface treatment for making a lithographic printing plate support was performed. First, in order to remove the rolling oil on the surface of the aluminum plate, degreasing treatment was carried out with a 10% by mass sodium aluminate aqueous solution at 50 ° C. for 30 seconds, and neutralization and smut removal treatment were carried out with a 30% by mass sulfuric acid aqueous solution at 50 ° C. for 30 seconds. Next, in order to improve the adhesion between the support and the recording layer and to provide water retention to the non-image area, a so-called graining treatment was performed to roughen the surface of the support. An aqueous solution containing 1% by mass of nitric acid and 0.5% by mass of aluminum nitrate is kept at 45 ° C., and an aluminum web is allowed to flow in the aqueous solution, while an indirect power feeding cell has a current density of 20 A / dm ² and a duty ratio of 1: 1. Electrolytic graining was performed by applying an anode side electric quantity of 240 C / dm ² in an alternating waveform. Thereafter, an etching treatment was performed with a 10% by mass aqueous sodium aluminate solution at 50 ° C. for 30 seconds, and a 30% by mass sulfuric acid aqueous solution was subjected to neutralization and smut removal treatment at 50 ° C. for 30 seconds. Furthermore, in order to improve wear resistance, chemical resistance and water retention, an oxide film was formed on the support by anodic oxidation. An anodization of 2.5 g / m ² by using a 20% by weight sulfuric acid aqueous solution as an electrolyte at 35 ° C. and carrying out an aluminum web through the electrolyte and performing an electrolytic treatment at a direct current of 14 A / dm ² by an indirect power supply cell. A film was created.

Thereafter, a silicate treatment was performed in order to ensure hydrophilicity as a non-image portion of the printing plate. The treatment was carried in such a way that a No. 3 sodium silicate 1.5 mass% aqueous solution was kept at 70 ° C. so that the contact time of the aluminum web was 15 seconds and further washed with water. The adhesion amount of Si was 10 mg / m ² . The center line surface roughness Ra of the support produced as described above was 0.25 μm.

[Synthesis Example 1; Synthesis of polymer fine particles having thermally reactive functional groups]
A stirrer, thermometer, dropping funnel, nitrogen inlet tube, reflux condenser is applied to a 1000 ml four-necked flask, and 350 ml of distilled water is added while deoxygenating by introducing nitrogen gas, and the internal temperature becomes 80 ° C. Until heated. As a dispersant, 1.0 g of sodium dodecyl sulfate and 1.5 g of polyvinyl alcohol (KL05 manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Co., Ltd.) are added, and 0.45 g of ammonium persulfide is added as an initiator, followed by 45 g of glycidyl methacrylate and 45 g of styrene. Was dropped with a dropping funnel over about 1 hour. After the completion of the dropwise addition, the reaction was continued as it was for 5 hours, and then the unreacted monomer was removed by steam distillation. Thereafter, the mixture was cooled, adjusted to pH 6 with ammonia water, and finally purified water was added so that the non-volatile content was 15% by mass to obtain an aqueous dispersion of polymer fine particles having an epoxy group as a thermally reactive group. The particle size distribution of the polymer fine particles had a maximum value at a particle size of 80 nm.
Here, the particle size distribution means that an electron micrograph of polymer fine particles is taken, and the total particle size of 5000 particles is measured on the photograph, and the logarithm is between 0 and the maximum value of the obtained particle size measurement value. The frequency of appearance of each particle size was plotted by dividing it into 50 on the scale. For non-spherical particles, the particle size of spherical particles having the same particle area as that on the photograph was used as the particle size.

[Synthesis Example 2; Synthesis of Microcapsules Encapsulating Cationic Polymerizable Compound]
As an oil phase component, 4.5 g of bis (vinyloxyethyl) ether of bisphenol A, an adduct of trimethylolpropane and xylylene diisocyanate (Takenate D-110N, manufactured by Mitsui Takeda Chemical Co., Ltd., microcapsule wall material) 5 g Millionate MR-200 (Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd. aromatic isocyanate oligomer, microcapsule wall material) 3.75 g, Infrared absorbing dye (IR-27 described herein) 1.5 g, Pionine A41C (Takemoto Yushi Co., Ltd.) ) Surfactant) 0.1 g was dissolved in 18.4 g of ethyl acetate. As an aqueous phase component, 37.5 g of a 4 mass% aqueous solution of PVA205 (Kuraray polyvinyl alcohol) was prepared. The oil phase component and the aqueous phase component were emulsified at 12000 rpm for 10 minutes using a homogenizer. Thereafter, a solution obtained by dissolving 0.38 g of tetraethylenepentamine (pentafunctional amine, microcapsule wall cross-linking agent) in 26 g of water was added, followed by stirring at 65 ° C. for 3 minutes while cooling with water. The microcapsule dispersion thus obtained had a solid content of 24% by mass and an average particle size of 0.3 μm.

[Synthesis Example 3; Synthesis of polymer fine particle having radical polymerizable group]
7.5 g of allyl methacrylate, 7.5 g of styrene, and 200 ml of a polyoxyethylenephenol aqueous solution (concentration 9.8 × 10 ⁻³ mol / liter) are added, and the system is replaced with nitrogen gas while stirring at 250 rpm. After the temperature of this liquid is 25 ° C., 10 ml of an aqueous cerium (IV) ammonium salt solution (concentration: 0.984 × 10 ⁻³ mol / liter) is added. At this time, an aqueous ammonium nitrate solution (concentration 58.8 × 10 ⁻³ mol / liter) is added to adjust the pH to 1.3 to 1.4. This was then stirred for 8 hours. The polymer fine particle-containing liquid thus obtained had a solid content concentration of 9.5%, and the average particle size of the polymer fine particles was 0.4 μm.

[Synthesis Example 4; Synthesis of Microcapsules Encapsulating Radical Polymerizable Compound]
Adduct of trimethylolpropane and xylylene diisocyanate as oil phase components (Takenate D-110N, manufactured by Mitsui Takeda Chemical Co., Ltd., macrocapsule wall material) 10 g, pentaerythritol triacrylate (SR444 manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.) 5.6 g, 0.15 g of a photothermal conversion agent (IR-30 described in the present specification) and 0.12 g of Pionine A41C (manufactured by Takemoto Oil & Fat Co., Ltd.) were dissolved in 17 g of ethyl acetate. As an aqueous phase component, 37.5 g of a 4% aqueous solution of PVA205 (polyvinyl alcohol manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) was prepared. The oil phase component and the aqueous phase component were emulsified for 10 minutes at 10,000 rpm using a homogenizer. Thereafter, 25 g of water was added, and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes and further at 40 ° C. for 3 hours. The solid content concentration of the microcapsule liquid thus obtained was 20% by mass, and the average particle size was 0.25 μm.

[Example 1]
(Preparation of lithographic printing plate precursor A)
The following recording layer coating solution containing the polymer fine particles of the synthesis example is bar-coated on the aluminum substrate obtained above, and then dried in an oven at 70 ° C. for 120 seconds, and the recording layer has a dry coating amount of 0.8 g. A lithographic printing plate precursor A / m ² was prepared.

<Recording layer coating solution>
-10.0 g of polymer fine particles obtained in Synthesis Example 1
-Photothermal conversion agent (IR-10 described herein) 1.0 g
・ Polyacrylic acid (weight average molecular weight 25,000) 1.0 g
・ Water 50.0g

[Example 2]
(Preparation of lithographic printing plate precursor B)
The following recording layer coating solution containing the microcapsules of the synthesis example is bar-coated on the aluminum substrate obtained above, and then dried in an oven at 100 ° C. for 60 seconds, and the recording layer has a dry coating amount of 1.0 g. A lithographic printing plate precursor B of / m ² was prepared.

<Recording layer coating solution>
・ 35.4g of water
-9.0 g of microcapsule dispersion obtained in Synthesis Example 2
Acid generator (AI-7 as described herein) 0.24 g

Example 3
(Preparation of lithographic printing plate precursor C)
The following recording layer coating solution is bar-coated on the aluminum substrate obtained above, and then dried in an oven at 80 ° C. for 90 seconds to produce a planographic printing with a recording layer dry coating amount of 1.0 g / m ² . An original plate C was prepared.

<Recording layer coating solution>
15 g of polymer fine particle dispersion obtained in Synthesis Example 3
-Photothermal conversion agent (IR-12 described in this specification) 0.1 g
・ Polyacrylic acid (weight average molecular weight 25,000) 0.05g
・ Ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate 0.05g
(Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., SR9035)
-Radical generator (AS-11 described herein) 0.05 g
・ Water 10g

Example 4
(Preparation of lithographic printing plate precursor D)
The following recording layer coating solution is bar-coated on the aluminum substrate obtained above, and then dried in an oven at 80 ° C. for 90 seconds to produce a planographic printing with a recording layer dry coating amount of 1.0 g / m ² . An original plate D was created.

<Recording layer coating solution>
・ Water 40g
・ Propylene glycol monomethyl ether 40g
-25 g of the microcapsule dispersion obtained in Synthesis Example 4
・ Isocyanuric acid EO-modified triacrylate 0.2g
(Aronix M-315, manufactured by Toa Gosei Co., Ltd.)
-Radical generator (AS-11 described in this specification) 0.5 g
-Photothermal conversion agent (IR-12 described in this specification) 0.15 g
・ Fluorosurfactant 0.05g
(Dai Nippon Ink Chemical Co., Ltd. MegaFuck F-171)

(Exposure / printing and evaluation)
The lithographic printing plate precursor A obtained as described above is mounted on the image exposure apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the conditions are an output of 17 W, an external drum rotation speed of 100 rpm, and a resolution of 2400 dpi. And image exposure was performed. Simultaneously with the image exposure, the recording layer in the heating area _AHT including the exposure area A _IR in the planographic printing plate precursor was heated to 80 ° C. By this heating, in Example 1, fine particles were efficiently fused even near the interface between the recording layer and the support, and a strong and excellent printing durability image was formed.
Next, in the exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor A, the lithographic printing plate precursor B is the same as the lithographic printing plate precursor A except that the heating temperature of the heating area _AHT including the exposure area A _IR is changed to 170 ° C. The exposure was performed. With this heating, in Example 2, the microcapsule permeabilization reaction proceeds effectively even near the interface between the recording layer and the support, and the acid generation reaction from the polymerization initiator also proceeds effectively. Combined with the high mobility of the polymerizable compound and active species, a strong and excellent printing durability image was formed.

Next, in the exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor A, the lithographic printing plate precursor C is the same as the lithographic printing plate precursor A except that the heating temperature of the heating area _AHT including the exposure area A _IR is changed to 90 ° C. The exposure was performed. By this heating, in Example 3, the cross-linking (polymerization) reaction between the polymer fine particles having a polymerizable group is efficiently performed even near the interface between the recording layer and the support, and a strong and excellent printing durability image is obtained. Been formed.
Next, in the exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor A, the lithographic printing plate precursor D is the same as the lithographic printing plate precursor A except that the heating temperature of the heating area _AHT including the exposure area A _IR is changed to 120 ° C. The exposure was performed. In Example 4, due to this heating, the permeabilization reaction of the microcapsules effectively proceeds near the interface between the recording layer and the support, and the radical generation reaction from the polymerization initiator also proceeds effectively. Combined with the high mobility of the polymerizable compound and active species, a strong and excellent printing durability image was formed.

After the image exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursors A to D was completed, the plate was attached to a cylinder of a printing machine SOR-M manufactured by Heidelberg without developing. 4% by volume IF102 (manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.) using dampening water and Barius ink ink (manufactured by Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc.), supplying dampening water, supplying ink, and Paper was supplied for printing.
At this time, the number of sheets that can be printed while maintaining a sufficient ink density was measured visually to evaluate the printing durability. The larger the number, the better the printing durability.
As a result, the lithographic printing plate precursor A of Example 1 was 50,000 sheets, the lithographic printing plate precursor B of Example 2 was 40,000, the lithographic printing plate precursor C of Example 3 was 50,000, and the lithographic plate of Example 4 The printing plate precursor D was 60,000. Thereby, it was confirmed that any of the lithographic printing plate precursors of Examples 1 to 4 has excellent printing durability that can withstand practicality.

It is a side view which shows the structure of the image exposure apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the exposure head and its feed mechanism in the image exposure apparatus shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image exposure apparatus 12 Planographic printing plate precursor 20 Outer drum (holding member)
22 Chuck mechanism (holding member)
26 Exposure head (exposure means)
28 Feeding mechanism (exposure means)
32 LD light source device (exposure means)
38 Heating device (heating means)
40 Heating fan unit (heating means)
44 Hot air nozzle (heating means)
48 Heating part (heating means)
68 Carrier (carrier member)

Claims (8)

An image forming method for forming an image on a lithographic printing plate precursor provided with an image recording layer containing a hydrophobized precursor and a photothermal conversion agent on a support,
An image exposure step of scanning and exposing the lithographic printing plate precursor with an infrared beam to form an image on the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor;
During exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor using an infrared beam, a heating region including an arbitrary exposure region irradiated with the infrared beam in the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor is exposed to the exposure region included in the heating region. A heating step of locally heating to a predetermined heating temperature;
An image forming method comprising: The hydrophobizing precursor is selected from the group consisting of (a) microcapsules encapsulating a compound having a thermoreactive group, (b) thermoplastic polymer microparticles, and (c) polymer microparticles having a thermoreactive group. The image forming method according to claim 1, comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of: An image forming method for forming an image on a lithographic printing plate precursor provided with an image recording layer containing a polymerizable compound, a polymerization initiator, and a photothermal conversion agent on a support,
An image exposure step of scanning and exposing the lithographic printing plate precursor with an infrared beam to form an image on the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor;
During exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor using an infrared beam, a heating region including an arbitrary exposure region irradiated with the infrared beam in the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor is exposed to the exposure region included in the heating region. A heating step of locally heating to a predetermined heating temperature;
An image forming method comprising: The image forming method according to claim 3, wherein the polymerizable compound is encapsulated in a microcapsule. The image forming method according to claim 3, wherein the polymerizable compound is (e) a polymer fine particle having a polymerizable group. The image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heating temperature is set to a temperature selected from a range of 35 ° C to 230 ° C. An image exposure apparatus used in the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A holding member for holding the lithographic printing plate precursor, the lithographic printing plate precursor being mountable;
Exposure means for scanning and exposing the lithographic printing plate precursor held by the holding member with an infrared beam to form an image on the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor;
When the lithographic printing plate precursor is exposed by an infrared beam, a heating region including an arbitrary exposure region irradiated with the infrared beam in the image recording layer of the lithographic printing plate precursor is changed to an infrared beam for the exposure region included in the heating region. Heating means for locally heating to the heating temperature during irradiation;
An image exposure apparatus comprising: An exposure head that forms a beam spot of an infrared beam on the lithographic printing plate precursor mounted on the holding member in the exposure means, a carrier member on which the exposure head is mounted, and the carrier member during exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor And a feed mechanism for moving the exposure head in the sub-scanning direction,
The heating means is mounted on the carrier member and is irradiated with a beam spot formed by the exposure head while moving in the sub-scanning direction together with the exposure head during exposure of the lithographic printing plate precursor using an infrared beam. The image according to claim 7, further comprising a heat supply unit configured to supply heat energy or electromagnetic energy to the heating area including the exposure area to heat the heating area to the heating temperature. Exposure device.

Images