PURPOSE: To provide a process for producing an improved planographic printing plate having a high dot grain and high printing durability.

CONSTITUTION: This process for producing the planographic printing plate includes stages of (1) subjecting an original picture contg. continuous color tones to frequency modulated screening, (2) exposing a negative effect photosensitive planographic printing plate precursor including photosensitive layers contg. direct positive silver halide emulsions in water permeable contact with each other and an image receptive layer contg. physical development nuclear according to images by the screened data and (3) developing the planographic printing plate precursor exposed according to the resulted images by using an alkaline processing soln. in the presence of a developing agent and a silver halide solvent. The photosensitive layers contain the direct positive silver halide emulsions which are spectrally sensitized by external electron traps having the amt. of silver bromide within a range between 0.5mol/mol AgX and 5mol/mol AgX and the subjected to prefogging.