an imaging apparatus suitable for use in conjunction with the present printing members includes at least one laser device that emits in the region of maximum plate responsiveness , i . e ., whose λ max closely approximates the wavelength region where the plate absorbs most strongly . specifications for lasers that emit in the near infrared ( ir ) region are fully described in u . s . pat . no . re . 35 , 512 (“ the &# 39 ; 512 patent ”) and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 385 , 092 (“ the &# 39 ; 092 patent ”), the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . lasers emitting in other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum are well - known to those skilled in the art . suitable imaging configurations are also set forth in detail in the &# 39 ; 512 and &# 39 ; 092 patents . briefly , laser output can be provided directly to the plate surface via lenses or other beam - guiding components , or transmitted to the surface of a blank printing plate from a remotely sited laser using a fiber - optic cable . a controller and associated positioning hardware maintain the beam output at a precise orientation with respect to the plate surface , scan the output over the surface , and activate the laser at positions adjacent selected points or areas of the plate . the controller responds to incoming image signals corresponding to the original document or picture being copied onto the plate to produce a precise negative or positive image of that original . the image signals are stored as a bitmap data file on a computer . such files may be generated by a raster image processor (“ rip ”) or other suitable means . for example , a rip can accept input data in page - description language , which defines all of the features required to be transferred onto the printing plate , or as a combination of page - description language and one or more image data files . the bitmaps are constructed to define the hue of the color as well as screen frequencies and angles . other imaging systems , such as those involving light valving and similar arrangements , can also be employed ; see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 577 , 932 ; 5 , 517 , 359 ; 5 , 802 , 034 ; and 5 , 861 , 992 , the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . moreover , it should also be noted that image spots may be applied in an adjacent or in an overlapping fashion . the imaging apparatus can operate on its own , functioning solely as a platemaker , or can be incorporated directly into a lithographic printing press . in the latter case , printing may commence immediately after application of the image to a blank plate , thereby reducing press set - up time considerably . the imaging apparatus can be configured as a flatbed recorder or as a drum recorder , with the lithographic plate blank mounted to the interior or exterior cylindrical surface of the drum . obviously , the exterior drum design is more appropriate to use in situ , on a lithographic press , in which case the print cylinder itself constitutes the drum component of the recorder or plotter . in the drum configuration , the requisite relative motion between the laser beam and the plate is achieved by rotating the drum ( and the plate mounted thereon ) about its axis and moving the beam parallel to the rotation axis , thereby scanning the plate circumferentially so the image “ grows ” in the axial direction . alternatively , the beam can move parallel to the drum axis and , after each pass across the plate , increment angularly so that the image on the plate “ grows ” circumferentially . in both cases , after a complete scan by the beam , an image corresponding ( positively or negatively ) to the original document or picture will have been applied to the surface of the plate . in the flatbed configuration , the beam is drawn across either axis of the plate , and is indexed along the other axis after each pass . of course , the requisite relative motion between the beam and the plate may be produced by movement of the plate rather than ( or in addition to ) movement of the beam . examples of useful imaging devices include models of the trendsetter imagesetters ( available from eastman kodak company ) that utilize laser diodes emitting near - ir radiation at a wavelength of about 830 nm . other suitable exposure units include the crescent 42t platesetter ( operating at a wavelength of 1064 nm , available from gerber scientific , chicago , ill .) and the screen platerite 4300 series or 8600 series plate - setter ( available from screen , chicago , ill .). regardless of the manner in which the beam is scanned , in an array - type system for on - press applications it is generally preferable to employ a plurality of lasers and guide their outputs to a single writing array . the writing array is then indexed , after completion of each pass across or along the plate , a distance determined by the number of beams emanating from the array , and by the desired resolution ( i . e ., the number of image points per unit length ). off - press applications , which can be designed to accommodate very rapid scanning ( e . g ., through use of high - speed motors , mirrors , etc .) and thereby utilize high laser pulse rates , can frequently utilize a single laser as an imaging source . fig1 illustrates a positive - working printing member 100 according to the invention that includes a substrate 102 ; a hydrophilic polymer layer 105 disposed over ( and typically adjacent to ) substrate 102 ; an absorptive layer 107 disposed over ( and typically adjacent to ) layer 105 ; and a topmost , ink - accepting layer 110 disposed over ( and typically adjacent to ) layer 107 . layer 107 is sensitive to imaging ( generally ir ) radiation as discussed below , and imaging of the printing member 100 ( by exposure to ir radiation ) heats layer 107 , disrupting its polymeric structure and rendering it removable by aqueous cleaning . moreover , heat is transmitted to layer 110 , which disrupts its polymeric structure as well and renders it , too , removable by aqueous cleaning . in some embodiments , the uppermost region of layer 105 is solubilized by heat as well , rendering it partially removable ; up to 40 % of the thickness of layer 105 may be rendered removable in this way ( although usually it is less than 30 %, e . g ., in the range of 10 - 20 %), and so long as the degree of removal remains in this range , neither plate behavior nor maximum run length appears to be compromised . importantly , where not exposed to imaging radiation , layers 107 , 110 not only remain impervious to aqueous cleaning , but exhibit sufficient durability in a commercial printing environment to withstand at least 25 , 000 impressions ( and in some cases , depending on printing conditions , 100 , 000 or more impressions ). preferably , layers 107 , 110 are rendered removable at low imaging energies , e . g ., on the order of 180 mj / cm 2 or less . most or all of the layers used in the present invention are continuous . the term “ continuous ” as used herein means that the underlying surface is completely covered with a uniform layer of the deposited material . each of the layers and its functions are described in detail below . the substrate provides dimensionally stable mechanical support to the printing member . the substrate should be strong , stable , and flexible . one or more surfaces ( and , in some cases , bulk components ) of the substrate is hydrophilic , and the substrate itself is desirably metal . in general , metal layers undergo special treatment in order to be capable of accepting fountain solution in a printing environment . any number of chemical or electrical techniques , in some cases assisted by the use of fine abrasives to roughen the surface , may be employed for this purpose . for example , electrograining involves immersion of two opposed aluminum plates ( or one plate and a suitable counterelectrode ) in an electrolytic cell and passing alternating current between them . the result of this process is a finely pitted surface topography that readily adsorbs water . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 087 , 341 . a structured or grained surface can also be produced by controlled oxidation , a process commonly called “ anodizing .” an anodized aluminum substrate consists of an unmodified base layer and a porous , “ anodic ” aluminum oxide coating thereover ; this coating readily accepts water . however , without further treatment , the oxide coating would lose wettability due to further chemical reaction . anodized plates are , therefore , typically exposed to a silicate solution or other suitable ( e . g ., phosphate ) reagent that stabilizes the hydrophilic character of the plate surface . in the case of silicate treatment , the surface may assume the properties of a molecular sieve with a high affinity for molecules of a definite size and shape — including , most importantly , water molecules . the treated surface also promotes adhesion to an overlying photopolymer layer . anodizing and silicate treatment processes are described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 181 , 461 and 3 , 902 , 976 . preferred hydrophilic substrate materials include aluminum that has been mechanically , chemically , and / or electrically grained with subsequent anodization . the surface 102 s of substrate 102 has characteristics matched to performance of the overlying layers , as explained in greater detail in the examples below . in various embodiments , substrate 102 has an ra value ranging from 0 . 3 to 0 . 4 μm , an rz value ranging from 4 to 5 μm , and a surface volume ranging from 16 , 000 to 18 , 000 μm 3 . the thickness of substrate 102 generally ranges from 0 . 004 to 0 . 02 inch , with thicknesses in the range 0 . 005 to 0 . 012 inch being particularly preferred . preferred manufacturing conditions for an electrochemically - grained substrate 102 include short dwell time and high current density . representative current densities exceed 20 amps / dm 2 with dwell times shorter than 25 seconds , targeting a charge density above 480 coulombs . representative grainer conditions include a current density ranging from 25 to 40 amps / dm 2 and a dwell time ranging from 15 to 20 seconds , targeting charge densities ranging from 500 and 600 coulombs . suitable materials for layer 105 include hydrophilic polymers , such as polyalkyl ethers , polyhydroxyl compounds , and polycarboxylic acids . for example , a hydrophilic layer 105 may include a fully hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol ( e . g ., celvol 305 , 325 and 425 sold by celanese chemicals , ltd . dallas , tex . ), which are usually manufactured by hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetates . the use of fully hydrolyzed alcohol is preferred to assure that residual non - hydrolyzed acetate does not affect the hydrophilic behavior of the surface of layer 105 . layer 105 is typically applied between 0 . 05 and 2 . 5 g / m 2 using coating techniques known in the art , such as wire - wound rod coating , reverse roll coating , gravure coating , or slot die coating . for example , in particular embodiments , the layer 105 is applied using a wire - round rod , followed by drying in a convection oven . in various embodiments , layer 105 is applied between 0 . 2 and 2 . 5 g / m 2 , e . g ., 1 . 0 to 2 . 0 g / m 2 . in one embodiment , the layer 105 is applied at a dry coating weight of 1 . 5 g / m 2 . the durability of layer 105 is preferably enhanced by the use of an inorganic crosslinker , e . g ., ammonium zirconium carbonate . in order to ensure a high degree of crosslinking ( and thus , a high resistance to water ), high concentrations ( e . g ., 10 - 20 %) of the crosslinker are preferred . a suitable crosslinker is bacote 20 , sold by mel chemicals , manchester , uk . the top surface of the crosslinked layer 105 preferably contains little or no residual inorganic crosslinker , such that it remains hydrophilic . the use of an inorganic crosslinker rather than an organic crosslinker ( e . g ., aldehyde ) lessens or eliminates voc emission due to thermal decomposition during the imaging process . however , organic crosslinkers can be used if desired . suitable crosslinkers include dialdehydes ( e . g ., the glyoxal product sold by clariant fine chemicals , charlotte , n . c . ), melamine formaldehyde ( e . g ., the cymel 303 product sold by citek ), or polyamide epiclhorohydrin ( e . g ., the polycup 172 product sold by hercules ). the glyoxal crosslinker is especially preferred , providing acceptable reduction of solubility at concentration levels of 10 % to 20 % of solids in the formulation . the crosslinked layer 105 is not water - soluble , and thus is not fully removed during printing runs . as such , the layer 105 contributes to the mechanical stability of the printing member , enabling the use of an imaging layer comprising a high percentage of metal or consisting essentially of metal . a high ceramic content in the imaging layer , normally required to maximize mechanical stability , is thus not required . layer 107 absorbs imaging radiation , which disrupts the layer &# 39 ; s polymeric structure and / or de - anchors it from hydrophilic layer 105 , rendering it removable by the action of an aqueous fluid . layer 107 contains an absorbing component ( typically , in the case of a pigment , from 30 - 40 % of the dry coating weight ), water - soluble crosslinkable binders and / or emulsions ( approximately 50 % of the dry coating weight ), and a crosslinking system ( e . g ., melamine resin and an acid catalyst , representing from 5 - 10 % of the dry coating weight ). accordingly , layer 107 may be crosslinked to enhance durability and prevent ablation . suitable materials for absorptive layer 107 include copolymers of polyvinyl alcohol with polyvinyl pyrrolidone ( pvp ), and copolymers of polyvinylether ( pve ), including polyvinylether / maleic anhydride versions . in some embodiments , layer 107 comprises a hydrophilic polymer and a crosslinking agent . suitable hydrophilic polymers for layer 107 include , but are not limited to , polyvinyl alcohol and cellulosics . in a preferred embodiment , the hydrophilic polymer is polyvinyl alcohol . the crosslinking agent may be a melamine . in general , the layer 107 is not soluble in water or in a cleaning solution . layer 107 is coated typically at a thickness in the range of from about 0 . 15 to about 0 . 25 μm , and more preferably in the range of from about 0 . 18 to about 0 . 22 μm . after coating , the layer is dried and subsequently cured at a temperature between 135 ° c . and 185 ° c . in the case of ir or near - ir imaging radiation , suitable absorbers include a wide range of dyes and pigments , such as carbon black , nigrosine - based dyes , phthalocyanines ( e . g ., aluminum phthalocyanine chloride , titanium oxide phthalocyanine , vanadium ( iv ) oxide phthalocyanine , and the soluble phthalocyanines supplied by aldrich chemical co ., milwaukee , wis . ); naphthalocyanines ( see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 977 , 068 ; 4 , 997 , 744 ; 5 , 023 , 167 ; 5 , 047 , 312 ; 5 , 087 , 390 ; 5 , 064 , 951 ; 5 , 053 , 323 ; 4 , 723 , 525 ; 4 , 622 , 179 ; 4 , 492 , 750 ; and 4 , 622 , 179 ); iron chelates ( see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 912 , 083 ; 4 , 892 , 584 ; and 5 , 036 , 040 ); nickel chelates ( see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 024 , 923 ; 4 , 921 ; 317 ; and 4 , 913 , 846 ); oxoindolizines ( see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 446 , 223 ); iminium salts ( see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 108 , 873 ); and indophenols ( see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 923 , 638 ). any of these materials may be dispersed in a prepolymer before cross - linking into a final film . the absorption sensitizer should minimally affect adhesion between layer 107 and the layers above and below . surface - modified carbon - black pigments sold under the trade designation cab - o - jet 200 by cabot corporation , bedford , mass . are found to minimally disrupt adhesion at loading levels providing adequate sensitivity for heating . the cab - o - jet series of carbon black products are unique aqueous pigment dispersions made with novel surface modification technology , as , for example , described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 554 , 739 and 5 , 713 , 988 . pigment stability is achieved through ionic stabilization . no surfactants , dispersion aids , or polymers are typically present in the dispersion of the cab - o - jet materials . significantly , cab - o - jet 200 also absorbs across the entire infrared spectrum , as well as across the visible and ultraviolet regions . bonjet black cw - 1 , a surface - modified carbon - black aqueous dispersion available from orient corporation , springfield , n . j ., also resulted in adhesion to the hydrophilic layer 304 at the amounts required to give adequate sensitivity for ablation . other near - ir absorbers for absorbing layers based on polyvinyl alcohol include conductive polymers , e . g ., polyanilines , polypyrroles , poly - 3 , 4 - ethylenedioxypyrroles , polythiophenes , and poly - 3 , 4 - ethylenedioxythiophenes . as polymers , these are incorporated into layer 304 in the form of dispersions , emulsions , colloids , etc . due to their limited solubility . alternatively , they can be formed in situ from monomeric components included in layer 304 as cast ( on substrate 302 ) or applied to layer 304 subsequent to the curing process — i . e ., by a post - impregnation ( or saturation ) process ; see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 908 , 705 . certain inorganic absorbers , dispersed within the polymer matrix , also serve particularly well in connection with absorbing layers based on polyvinyl alcohol . these include tion , ticn , tungsten oxides of chemical formula wo 3 - x , where 0 & lt ; x & lt ; 0 . 5 ( with 2 . 7 ≦ x ≦ 2 . 9 being preferred ) ; and vanadium oxides of chemical formula v 2 o 5 - x , where 0 & lt ; x & lt ; 1 . 0 ( with v 6 o 13 being preferred ). suitable coatings may be formed by known mixing and coating methods , for example , wherein a base coating mix is formed by first mixing all the components , such as water ; 2 - butoxyethanol ; airvol 125 polyvinyl alcohol ; ucar wbv - 110 vinyl copolymer ; cymel 303 hexanethoxymethylmelamine crosslinking agent ; and cab - o - jet 200 carbon black ( not including any crosslinking catalyst ). to extend the stability of the coating formulation , a crosslinking agent , such as nacure 2530 , may be added subsequently to the base coating mix or dispersion just prior to the coating application . the coating mix or dispersion may be applied by any of the known methods of coating application , such as , for example , wire - wound rod coating , reverse - roll coating , gravure coating , or slot - die coating . after drying to remove the volatile liquids , a solid coating layer is formed . the oleophilic topmost layer participates in printing and provides the requisite lithographic affinity difference with respect to substrate 102 and / or hydrophilic layer 105 . the topmost layer 110 remains bonded to the absorbing layer 107 where not exposed to imaging radiation , and adsorbs ink as the image surface of the lithographic printing member 100 . the surface layer preferably comprises an uncrosslinked polymeric material and a surfactant . the surface layer is preferably coated onto the infrared absorbing layer using an organic solvent or mixture of organic solvents . the remaining layers are applied using aqueous solutions . the surface layer preferably comprises a novolak , a polyurethane resin or a terpolymer comprising vinyl chloride , vinyl acetate , and hydroxy alkyl acrylate , with a dry coating weight between 0 . 05 and 0 . 50 g / m 2 . a preferred dry coating weight for the surface layer would be between 0 . 10 and 0 . 30 g / m 2 . other suitable ( but less preferred ) materials for layer 110 include polyvinyl butyral , cellulose acetate butyrate , cellulose acetate phthalate , and jaylink 106e ( acrylamido - modified cellulose acetate butyrate ). in preferred embodiments , the durability and surface lubricity of the topmost layer is improved by the incorporation of a surfactant . these can include byk 301 , a silicone surface additive manufactured by byk chemie , or novec fc - 4432 , fluorochemical surfactant manufactured by 3m . typically , the surfactant represents 1 to 3 % of the dry coating weight . fig2 a and 2b show the consequences of imaging the printing member illustrated in fig1 . with reference to fig2 a , in the exposed area region 200 , layer 107 absorbs the imaging pulse and converts it to heat . the heat diffuses through layer 107 and disrupts its polymeric structure and / or de - anchors it from underlying layer 105 , substantially without ablation . in addition , layer 110 experiences the heat produced by layer 107 and , as a consequence , is also degraded substantially without ablation . after imaging , the portions of layers 107 , 110 that have received radiation are removed by cleaning with an aqueous fluid ( e . g ., tap water or or a mixture of water and a surfactant ), which may occur prior to printing or during print “ make ready .” in some embodiments , the printing member can be used on press immediately after being imaged without the need for a post - imaging processing step . printing with the printing member includes applying dampening solution to the plate followed by ink , which is thereby transferred in the imagewise lithographic pattern ( created as described above ) to a recording medium such as paper . the inking and transferring steps may be repeated a desired number of times , e . g ., up to 70 , 000 or more times . each substrate was subsequently coated with a hydrophilic polymer layer and an infrared absorbing layer on top of that . the hydrophilic layer was coated at an approximate thickness of 1 . 0 μm and at a dry coating weight of around 1 . 5 g / m 2 . polyvinyl alcohol resin represents the bulk of this layer ( between 60 and 80 %). a crosslinking agent , bacote 20 ( ammonium zirconyl carbonate solution ) was also included in the coating solution , estimated at 15 to 30 % of the dry coating weight . the aqueous infrared absorbing layer was applied to the dry / cured hydrophilic layer and substrate at an approximate dry coat weight of 0 . 34 g / m 2 . this coating layer contains an absorbing component ( between 30 and 40 % of the dry coat weight ), water soluble cross - linkable binders and / or emulsions ( approximately 50 % of the dry coat weight ) and melamine resins and an acid catalyst ( between 4 and 6 % of the dry coat weight ). all three coated plates were evaluated . plates were first imaged on a kodak trendsetter at 13 watts / 240 rpm , then processed through a presstek as - 34 aquascrubber filled with tap water ( maintained at a temperature of 92 - 94 ° f .). transport speed was set at 30 inches / min . the imaged and cleaned plates were examined and rated for cleanliness and the level of coating retention in laser - imaged areas . in table 2 , values range from 1 ( visibly clean , no coating retention ) to 5 ( heavy coating retention ). the results indicate that the characteristics of the grain will somewhat influence the imaging and cleaning characteristics of the plate . the preferred grain of substrate a results in a plate that is considered to be completely clean ( no coating retention ) after imaging and processing ( as described above .) the “ smoother ” grain of substrate c , which clearly has the least amount of surface topography of the three grain samples , results in a plate with approximately the same level of coating retention as substrate a . substrate b , which is a rougher and somewhat pitted grain with more of a detailed structure than that of substrate c , results in a plate that is mostly clean ( visibly ) but , upon closer examination , shows small black specks ( coating retention ) in the laser - imaged area . a series of three different surface - layer coatings were prepared for evaluation on each of the coated substrates described above . a surface layer comprising 1 . 5 % estane 5715 ( polyester - type thermoplastic polyurethane resin manufactured by lubrizol advanced materials , inc ) and 0 . 05 % fc - 4432 ( novec fluorosurfactant manufactured by 3m ) in dowanol pm . the resin was initially dissolved in dowanol pm at approximately 10 % solids . ( this stock solution took several hours to prepare , using a relatively high mixing speed .) the stock solution was diluted down to approximately 1 . 5 % with additional dowanol pm and the fc - 4432 was added in at approximately 0 . 05 %. the solution was then mixed for 20 minutes before coating . a surface layer comprising 1 . 5 % vagf ( solution vinyl resin manufactured by dow ) and 0 . 05 % fc - 4432 was prepared . the resin was initially dissolved in dowanol pma at approximately 10 % solids . ( this stock solution took several hours to prepare , using a relatively high mixing speed .) the stock solution was diluted down to approximately 1 . 5 % with dowanol pm and the fc - 4432 was added in at approximately 0 . 05 %. the solution was then mixed for 20 minutes before coating . a surface layer comprising 1 . 5 % nitrocellulose resin and 0 . 05 % fc - 4432 was prepared . the nitrocellulose resin was obtained from aldrich chemical (“ wetted ” with 2 - propanol at 30 %.) a 10 % solids stock solution was prepared by dissolving the “ wetted ” resin in dowanol pm . this stock solution was further diluted down to 1 . 5 % solids , using additional pm . the fc - 4432 surfactant was added in at approximately 0 . 05 %. the solution was then mixed for 20 minutes before coating . a wire - wound coating rod ( meyer ) was utilized to apply the coating of each of the examples . after coating application , all plates were dried at 250 ° f . for approximately 40 seconds ( to eliminate solvent ). the dry coating weight of each surface layer was estimated to be 0 . 18 g / m 2 . each of the test plates was imaged on a kodak trendsetter at the power settings listed in table 3 below . plates were then sent through a presstek as - 34 aquascrubber filled with tap water ( maintained at a temperature of 92 - 94 ° f .). transport speed was set at 30 inches / min . upon evaluation , the following levels of visible coating retention were noted : once again , values range from 1 ( visibly clean , no coating retention ) to 5 ( heavy coating retention ). results clearly demonstrate that a is the preferred substrate for this plate design . all surface layer coating solutions that incorporated the preferred grain structure can be imaged at low imaging energy ( 150 mj or less ) and water washed , with full release of the infrared absorbing layer and surface layer in the laser - imaged areas . neither substrate b nor c is commercially acceptable . the laser - imaged areas of plate samples coated with the surface coating of examples 1 and 2 cannot be fully cleaned on these substrates after imaging at preferred thermal energy levels . all plate constructions ( based on substrates a , b and c ) coated with the nitrocellulose surface layer showed no visible coating retention after imaging and cleaning . the natural thermal instability of this resin contributes to its ability to be thermally imaged and cleaned on a wider latitude of substrate grain types . however , the instability of the nitrocellulose resin also makes this option difficult from a manufacturing standpoint . the resin is generally purchased “ wet ,” i . e ., in a ˜ 30 % solution in 2 - propanol , and this solution is maintained ( above 25 %) for storage . this is because the dry resin powder is unstable and can be easily ignited by sparks . any residual coating left to dry out in the manufacturing line or coating - preparation area can be a potential hazard . handling issues are also a concern . ( the preferred grade of nitrocellulose resin for use in the surface coating industry is closely related to the more highly nitrated form , which is used to make explosives .) all substrate a examples were also subjected to a durability test . in this test , the fully - coated plate ( unimaged and uncleaned ) is rubbed back and forth ( 50 times ) with a weighted ball - peen hammer ( 5 pounds ) that has been covered with a moistened textured cloth ( flat end ). this test is used to simulate aggressive press wear conditions . the density of an untested area of the coated plate is measured ( an average of 4 - 6 readings are taken ) using an x - rite spectro densitometer and recorded . a similar set of measurements is taken in the area that has been rubbed . the average density of the rubbed area is then subtracted from the average density of the intact area and a value is obtained . the lower the value ( or the lesser the loss in density ), the more durable the plate will be . the higher the value ( or the greater the loss in density ), the less durable the plate will be . the following results were obtained using substrate a coated with the hydrophilic and imaging layers described above , and the surface layers noted : the application of any of the example surface layers to a plate results in a significant improvement in durability for that plate . actual on - press testing of example 2 on substrate a has demonstrated a minimum of twofold improvement in run length over a plate lacking the surface coating . screens and fine lines appear to be much stronger , particularly in aggressive press situations ( use of uncoated stock , inks with rough grinds ). specifically , a plate overcoated according to example 2 did not any show any screen wear until 65 - 70 , 000 impressions . additionally , the ink / water balance characteristics of the plate are also improved relative to a plate lacking the surface coating . although the present invention has been described with reference to specific details , it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention , except as and to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims .