Diazosulfonate polymers are applied as photo resins for printing plates and imaged via UV light and IR laser irradiation. Both methods lead to sufficient differentiation in the exposed areas to allow image formation upon printing. Changes in the exposed areas compared to the unexposed sites are studies via UV and IR spectroscopy and the surface properties are characterized using contact angle measurements, ellipsometry, and atomic force microscopy. Upon UV irradiation the polymer films retain their smooth surface but the changes in the solubility and wetting behavior are considerable. Laser imaging leads to a thermally induced foaming of the polymer film, and thus to a different ink accepting behavior.