To provide a new printing plate material with which a printing pattern can be easily and rapidly formed without using a developing solution and to provide a plate making method.

The printing plate material has on a support a fine particle layer comprising colloidal particles of a metal or composite metal having 1-100 nm average particle size and 0.05-5 times (by mass) as much organic compound as the metal or composite metal. The plate making method includes a pattern forming step in which the printing plate material is irradiated with laser light to generate heat in the irradiated regions and the organic compound present on the surfaces of the colloidal particles in the regions is degraded or removed by at least the heat to form a printing pattern comprising the metal or composite metal and an ink supplying step in which ink is supplied to the printing pattern comprising the metal or composite metal to convert the printing pattern to ink receiving areas.