DEVELOPER CONCENTRATE AND DEVELOPER PREPARED THEREFROM FOR EXPOSED NEGATIVE-WORKING REPRODUCTION LAYERS WITH TOP LAYER AND A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING PRINTING FORMS

A developer concentrate is described which is used by diluting with tap water to give a read-to-use developer for negative-working exposed reproduction layers on a base. The developer concentrate is a mixture which includes water, an organic solvent, an alkali agent, an anionic surfactant, an n-alkanoic acid and/or its salts, an emulsifier, an alkali-metal salt of an oligomeric phosphate and/or of N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic acid as complexing agent and also a tris(hydroxyalkyl) aminomethane as buffering substance. The developer concentrate according to the present invention exhibits, in particular, the advantage that it is stable as a concentrate, i.e., exhibits no phase separations, precipitates or turbidities, etc. . . . , and can be diluted without difficulties to produce the ready-to-use developer. The latter is also stable and exhibits optimum developer properties, in particular for reproduction layers with overcoat.