provided herein are novel polymeric coating materials for direct digital imaging by laser . more specifically the novel coating materials are thermally reactive near infrared absorption polymers designed for use with near infrared laser imaging devices . this invention further extends to the preparation and methods of use of the novel materials . the invention is particularly useful in the preparation of lithographic printing plates for computer - to - plate and digital - offset - press technologies . the invention extends to photoresist applications , to rapid prototyping of printed circuit boards and to chemical sensor development .