| abstract |
The invention relates to a developer for irradiated, radiation-sensitive recording materials, in particular for the production of offset printing plates, which contains water, a compound which is alkaline in aqueous solution and a copolymer which acts as an emulsifier and has units of (I) a hydrophobic vinyl compound which has at least one optionally substituted mono- or bicyclic (C6-C14)aryl radical and (II) a hydrophilic, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid. Some of the carboxyl groups of the copolymer are esterified with reaction products of (A) (C1-C30)alkanols, (C8-C25)alkanoic acids, (C1-C12)-alkylphenols or di(C1-C20)alkylamines with (B) (C2-C4)-alkylene oxides or tetrahydrofuran, the molar ratio (A):(B) being in the range from 1:2 to 1:50. If it is intended to develop recording materials having a negative-working layer, the developer additionally contains a water-miscible organic solvent and a surface-active compound. The developer has a low initial viscosity, which increases only slowly with increasing contamination with layer components. Furthermore it shows only a particularly low tendency to foam. |