Process for conditioning photopolymerizable elements

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR TH PRODUCTION OF A RELIEF IMAGE ON A SUPPORT WHICH COMPRISES IMAGEWISE EXPOSURE TO ACTINIC RADIATON OF A PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE RELIEF HEIGHTFORMING SOLID STRATUM COATED ON SAID SUPPORT, SAID STRATUM COMPRISING (1) A PREFORMED, COMPATIBLE, MACROMOLECULAR POLYMER BINDING AGENT, (2) A NON-GASEOUS, ADDITIONPOLYMERIZABLE ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED COMPOUND CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE TERMINAL ETHYLENIC GROUP, HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF LESS THAN 1500, A BOILING POINT ABOVE 100*C. AT NORMAL ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND BEING CAPABLE OF FORMING A HIGH POLYMER BY FREE-RADICAL INITIATED, CHAINPROPAGATING ADDITION POLYMERIZATION IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ADDITION POLYMERIZATION INITIATOR THEREFOR ACTIVATABLE BY ACTINIC RADIATION AND (3) FROM 0.0001 TO 10%, BY WEIGHT, OF THE STRATUM OF SUCH AN ITITIATOR; THE IMPROVEMENT OF REDUCING THE INHIBITION CAUSED BY THE PRESENCE OF ABSORBED OXYGEN IN SAID STRATUM, WHICH IMPROVEMENT CONSISTS IN: PRIOR TO SAID IMAGEWISE EXPOSURE, UNIFORMLY EXPOSING A SURFACE OF SAID STRATUM TO 70% TO 98% OF THE AMOUNT OF ACTINIC RADIATION NECESSARY TO INITIATE PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION THEREIN.