Process for the production of printing forms

Claim 1

AN IMAGE REPRODUCTION PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF EXPOSING TO AN OBJECT TO BE REPRODUCED A LAYER OF GELATIN EMULSION OF SILVER HALIDE CONTAINING A DEVELOPER THAT HARDENS THE GELATIN, SAID GELATIN BEING IMPERMEABLE TO ALCOHOLIC DYESTUFF SOLUTIONS BUT BEING COATED ON A SUPPORT WHICH IS PERMEABLE TO ALCOHOLIC DYESTUFF SOLUTIONS, PLACING SAID EXPOSED EMULSION IN CONTACT WITH A TRANSFER SUPPORT, HEATING THE RESULTING ASSEMBLY TO A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 80-150* C. IN THE PRESENCE OF COMPOUNDS SPLITTING OFF MOISTURE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE EMULSION TO HAVE FROM ABOUT 8 TO 12% MOISTURE BY WEIGHT AND TO CAUSE THE EXPOSED AREAS OF THE EMULSION TO BE REDUCED AND THE GELATIN IN THESE AREAS OF THE EMULSION TO WITHOUT ADHERING TO THE TRANSFER SUPPORT, WHILE THE UNEXPOSED AREAS OF THE EMULSION ARE STRIPPED FROM THE EMULSION SUPPORT AND BECOME ADHERED TO THE TRANSFER SUPPORT, SEPARATING THE TRANSFER SUPPORT WITH THE ADHERING EMULSION AREAS FROM THE EXPOSED EMULSION SO THAT A NEGATIVE RELIEF IMAGE IS OBTAINED IN THE EXPOSED EMULSION AND A POSITIVE RELIEF IMAGE ON THE TRANSFER SUPPORT, DYEING THE BACK OF THE NEGATIVE WITH AN ALCOHOLIC DYESTUFF SOLUTION, AND THEN TRANSFERRING THE IMAGE ON THE NEGATIVE TO ANOTHER CARRIER HELD IN CONTACT WITH THE FRONT OF THE NEGATIVE, THIS BEING EFFECTED BY THE PENETRATION OF THE DYESTUFF THROUGH THE EMULSION-FREE AREAS OF THE NEGATIVE ON TO SAID CARRIER.