printing plate to high energy ultraviolet light for a predetermined period of time the other method is a chemical finishing method wherein the engraved plate is immersed in a halogen solution a solution containing chlorine bromine or iodine the finished plate is then ready for mounting on a printing press as described above the novel method for laser engraving photopolymer printing plates permits the plate manufacturer to utilize standard materials the materials which are used in chemical etch processing and with which the manufacturer is familiar being adaptable to laser engraving by the instant method a major advantage being that the equipment utilized for processing the photopolymer material remains unchanged that is the ultraviolet light exposure equipment formerly utilized to define the printing pattern on the plate can be utilized for preparation step 10 wherein the photopolymer plate is cured one such exposure unit being provided by the e i dupont company for use with their cyrel u00ae plate making system and having the designation 2001 has been successfully utilized exposure units of this type typically utilize forty 100 watt ultraviolet light tubular lamps to expose the photopolymer material the back surface of the photopolymer printing plate is exposed to the ultraviolet light from this source for a time period having an approximating range of one to six minutes subsequent to the back exposure the entire front surface of the photopolymer is exposed to the ultraviolet light from this source for a period having an approximating range of one to six minutes to provide the desired depth of cure overcuring is not a problem.