Photoinitiated reactions especially in photopolymer technology, as well as photoinitiated colour forming reactions are achievable by applying a reactive substrate selected from a polymerisable and/or crosslinkable composition and a colour changing substance to a support, activating a latent photoinitiator applied with the reactive substance and subsequently exposing the reactive substrate with the resulting photoinitiator therein to photoreaction conditions wherein actinic radiation causes the substrate to undergo polymerisation and/or crosslinking or colour change respectively, the substrate being locally modified in its constitution as a result of its exposure to actinic radiation at least one stage of the method, so that the resulting polymerised and/or crosslinked composition or colour changed substance corresponds in its distribution on the support to the locations of the modification of the substrate.