Definition of printing plate

device that carries the image to be printed and is applied directly to paper or to an intermediate image carrier, such as a print blanket, in order to transfer the image to paper. The image on the plate may be raised above the surface (relief), may be carved (etched-see etch) into the surface, or may be flush with the surface and differentiated chemically from the nonimage areas of the plate. Most printing plates are metallic.