Photographic negatives and their preparation

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A PHOTOGRAPHIC NEGATIVE UTILIZING A RELIEF PRINTING FORM WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS IN COMBINATION OF CONTACTING A HEATED PRINTING FORM WHOSE RELIEF SURFACE IS COATED WITH A LAYER OF DRY PIGMENT, WITH A HIGH-CONTRAST SILVER HALIDE EMULSION PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM AT LEAST ONE OF WHOSE SIDES HAS BEEN OVERCOATED WITH A LAYER OF THERMOPLASTIC, SOLVENT-SOLUBLE POLYMERIC COMPOSITION, SAID COMPOSITION BEING RELATIVELY NON-ADHESIVE AT NORMAL ROOM TEMPERATURE, BEING INSENSITIVE TO LIGHT AND BEING CAPABLE, OF TRANSMITTING SOME LIGHT ACTINIC TO SAID SILVER HALIDE EMULSION, THEREBY DEPOSITING SAID PIGMENT ON ONLY ONE OF SAID OVERCOATED SIDES OF SAID FILM, EXPOSING THE SIDE OF SAID FILM HAVING THE PIGMENT DEPOSITED THEREON TO A LIGHT SOURCE, PROCESSING SAID FILM WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS OF DEVELOPING, FIXING AND REMOVING THE PIGMENT AND OVERCOATING LAYER WITH A SOLVENT FOR SAID OVERCOATING LAYER, THE REMOVAL OF SAID OVERCOATING LAYER BEING CARRIED OUT AT ANY STATE PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF PROCESSING.