Method of providing lithographic printing plates

1. A method for providing a lithographic printing plate comprising:

A) imagewise exposing a positive-working lithographic printing plate precursor having an imageable layer to provide exposed and non-exposed regions using infrared radiation,

 wherein the imageable layer comprises an infrared radiation absorbing compound and a primary polymeric binder in an amount of at least 40 weight % and up to and including 95 weight %, based on the total dry weight of the imageable layer, the primary polymeric binder comprising recurring units represented by either or both of the following Structures (Ia) and (Ib), in random order:

wherein:

 when both Structure (Ia) and (Ib) recurring units are present, the Structure (Ia) recurring units are present in an amount of at least 10 and up to and including 35 mol %, and the Structure (Ib) recurring units are present in an amount of at least 25 and up to and including 60 mol %, all based on total recurring units in the polymeric binder,

R is a substituted or unsubstituted hydroxyaryl group, and

 R 2 is a substituted or unsubstituted hydroxyaryl group in which the hydroxyl group is ortho to the ester linkage, and

B) processing the exposed lithographic printing plate precursor with a developer composition to remove the exposed regions in the imageable layer,

wherein the developer composition is a silicate-free and sugar-free alkaline aqueous developer composition having a pH of at least 12 and comprising:

 (a) a hydroxide,

 (b) a metal cation M 2+ selected from barium, calcium, strontium, and zinc cations,

 (c) a chelating agent for the metal cation M 2+ , and

 (d) an alkali metal salt different than all of a, b, and c above.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal cation M 2+ in the developer composition is calcium or strontium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the developer composition has a pH of at least 12 and up to and including 13.5.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein alkali metal salt of component (d) in the developer composition comprises a citrate, acetate, tartrate, nitrate, or oxalate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chelating agent of component (c) in the developer composition has a complex formation constant (log K), when M 2+ is for the calcium metal cation M 2+ , of at least 3.5 and less than or equal to 4.5, and a log K for aluminum ion that is 7 or less.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the chelating agent of component (c) in the developer composition is a phosphono-polycarboxylic acid.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chelating agent of component (c) in the developer composition is 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal cation M 2+ is present in the developer composition in an amount of at least 0.001 gram-atom/kg and up to and including 0.01 gram-atom/kg.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the chelating agent of component (c) is present in the developer composition in an amount of at least 0.01 mol/liter and up to and including 0.1 mol/liter.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal salt of component (d) is present in the developer composition in an amount of at least 0.05 mol/liter and up to and including 0.2 mol/liter.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the developer composition further comprises an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, or betaine.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the developer composition has a pH of at least 12 and up to and including 13.5, and comprises:

a sodium or potassium hydroxide,

sodium or potassium citrate,

M 2+ is calcium or strontium metal cation, and

the chelating agent has a complex formation constant (log K), when M 2+ is for the calcium metal cation, of at least 3.5 and less than or equal to 4.5, and a log K for aluminum ion that is less than or equal to 7.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positive-working lithographic printing plate precursor has an aluminum-containing substrate and the at least one imageable layer disposed on the substrate.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positive-working lithographic printing plate precursor has a single positive-working imageable layer disposed on an aluminum-containing substrate.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positive-working lithographic printing plate precursor has a surface imageable layer containing hydroxymandelic acid, an organic compound having at least one amino group and at least one carboxylic acid group directly linked to an aryl group, or both hydroxymandelic acid and at least one of the organic compounds.

16. The method of claim 1 that is carried out in a processing apparatus to which the developer composition is supplied as a concentrate that is diluted at least 1.5 times with an aqueous solution for use in step B.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydroxide in the developer composition comprises an alkali metal in an amount of at least 0.1 gram-atom/kg and up to and, including 1 gram-atom/kg.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the developer composition has a pH of at least 12 and up to and including 13.5, and comprises:

a sodium or potassium hydroxide,

sodium or potassium citrate,

M 2+ as calcium metal cation,

a phosphono-polycarboxylic acid chelating agent, and

a surfactant.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal salt different than all of a, b, and c is an alkali metal salt of an organic carboxylic acid.