Method of imaging a photolithographic plate and elements for use in the preparation of same

Claim 1

A MULTIPLE COPY PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF APPLYING AN AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION OF A SILVER HALIDE DEVELOPER AND A SILVER HALIDE SOLVENT TO A PHOTO-EXPOSED SILVER HALIDE STRATUM AND A SUPERPOSED HYDROPHILLIC WATER RECEPTIVE, SILVER RECEPTIVE STRATUM WHICH CONTAINS NUCLEI FOR PRECIPITATION OF SILVER FROM A WATER SOLUBLE SILVER COMPLEX AND IN WHICH THE HYDROPHILIC, SILVER RECEPTIIVE STRATUM IS OVERCOATED WITH SEPARATE COATS ONE OF WHICH COMPRISES A WATER SOLUBLE SULFIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AMMONIUM SULFIDE AND AN ALKALI METAL SULFIDE AND THE OTHER OF WHICH COMPRISES A WATER SOLUBLE SALT OF A BIVALENT METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LEAD, ZINC, NICKEL, COPPER AND COBALT, REDUCING THE EXPOSED SILVER HALIDE IN THE SILVER HALIDE STRATUM TO SILEVER, FORMING FROM UNREDUCED SILVER IN THE SILVER HALIDE STRATUM A WATER SOLUBLE SILVER COMPLEX, DIFFUSING THE COMPLEX TO THE SILVER RECEPTIVE STRATUM, PRODUCING FROM THHE COMPLEX IN CONJUNCTION WTH THE NUCLEI A VISIBLE IMAGE ON THE SILVER RECEPTIVE STRATUM, SAID IMAGE HAVING FIRST AREAS WHICH CONTAIN SILVER CONCENTRATED PRIMARILY AT THE SURFACE AS AN OLEPHILIC INK RECEPTIVE MATERIAL AND SECOND NONIMAGED AREAS WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY SILVER FREE, STRIPPING THE SILVER HALIDE STRATUM FROM THE SILVER RECEPTIVE STRATUM, WETTING THE SILVER RECEPTIVE STRATUM WITH AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM TO WET OUT THE SECOND AREAS, COATING SAID SILVER RECEPTIVE STRATUM WITH AN INK WHICH WILL PREFERENTIALLY WET OUT SAID FIRST AREAS, AND PRESSING THE INKED SURFACE ONTO A COPY MEMBER FOR THE TRANSFER OF THE INK IMAGE THERETO.