Apparatus for developing a printing plate, preferably a plate sensitized and imaged on both sides, including a pre-soak chamber containing a body of developer fluid, preferably a combination developer-finisher solution, and adapted to soften the areas of the plate coating to be removed as the plate passes through the chamber; a cleaning and scrubbing unit, including, a pair of rotatable brushes adapted to rotate in a direction opposite the direction that the plate travels through the apparatus, a pair of developer supply conduits mounted adjacent the brushes and behind the brushes, with respect to the direction of travel of the plate, and adapted to spray developer fluid on the bristles of the brushes at a time immediately before the latter contact the plate, a pair of deflectors mounted in contact with the brushes and ahead of the brushes, with respect to the direction of travel of the plate, and adapted to clean solid debris from the brushes and a pair of reciprocatable scrubber pads having a velour pad and conduits adapted to force developer fluid through the pads and onto the plate, and adapted to remove any remaining coating to be removed from the plate; a pair of transport rollers mounted behind the scrubber pads, with respect to the direction of travel of the plate, preferably having a surface which preferentially attracts particles of solid debris and removes them from the plate and, when a combination developer-finisher fluid is used, adapted to meter a thin layer of fluid on the plate; a pair of cleaning pads in contact with the transport rollers and mounted on the scrubber pads; and a drying means, preferably including a chamber and means for introducing hot air through the sides of the chamber.
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