Abstract: An ink for ink jet recording which provides high-quality images excellent in weather fastnesses is provides, which is an ink for ink jet recording, comprising a yellow dye having a specific characteristic wherein the total amount of a cation other than a monovalent metal ion, a hydrogen ion, an ammonium ion, an organic quaternary nitrogen ion and an ion formed by proton addition to the nitrogen atom in basic organic material is not more than 0.5 wt % based on the amount of the ink.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink set, in which in ink jet recording, an ejection stability is enhanced, hues, light resistance and water resistance of an image obtained are made excellent, and image keeping quality under severe conditions is improved, wherein the color ink set comprising a plurality of inks different in hues in order to record on a recording medium, the ink set comprising as a black ink at least a specified coloring agent, which has a &lgr;max of 500 nm to 700 nm and a half value width in an absorption spectrum of a dilute solution normalized to an absorbance of 100 nm or more, an ink cartridge containing the same, an ink jet printer carrying them, and an image recording method.

Abstract: The ink set of the present invention provides a high ejection stability, gives an image having an excellent hue, light-resistance and waterproofness and improves the image preservability under severe conditions in ink jet recording, in which the ink set comprising a plurality of inks different in hues, wherein the plurality of inks includes a yellow ink containing a coloring agent that is a dye having: a &lgr;max of from 390 nm to 470 nm; an I(&lgr;max+70 nm)/I(&lgr;max) ratio of not greater than 0.4, in which I(&lgr;max) is the absorbance at &lgr;max and I(&lgr;max+70 nm) is the absorbance at (&lgr;max+70 nm); and a forced fading rate constant of not greater than 5.0×10−2 [hour−1], an ink cartridge having the ink set received therein, an ink jet printer comprising the ink cartridge mounted therein and an image recording method.

Abstract: An ink set of a plurality of inks each comprising at least a dye, a water miscible organic solvent and water, wherein: (1) each of the water miscible organic solvents permits all of the dyes to have a solubility at 25° C. of less than 10 (g/100 g); or (2) at least one of the water miscible organic solvents permits at least one of the dyes to have a solubility at 25° C. of 10 (g/100 g) or greater, but a total amount of the at least one of the water miscible organic solvents is 10% by weight or less based on each one of the inks.

Abstract: To provide an image-forming material, an image formation method and a method for manufacturing a color proof, where even when laser recording is performed with a higher energy by multi-beam laser light, a light-to-heat conversion substance or a decomposition product thereof is prevented from transferring to the image-forming layer and at the same time, a transfer image having sufficiently high image density, high resolution, and no layer fogging can be formed on an image-receiving sheet.

Abstract: A method for forming an image using a transfer material and an image-receiving material. The transfer material has at least a support, a light-heat exchange layer and a coloring material layer. The image-receiving material has at least an image-receiving layer. The coloring material layer is superposed on the image-receiving layer, and laser light is imagewasely irradiated onto this laminate from the transfer material side. An irradiated region of the coloring material layer transfers onto the image-receiving layer. The transfer material may include an electroconductive layer, and the surface of the coloring material layer may be charged by corona discharge before superposition. Moreover, yellow, magenta, cyan and black may be used one after another, The laser light may be irradiated from a multi-beam 2-dimensional laser array, The thickness of black coloring material layer is from 0.5 to 0.7 &mgr;m and is greater than the thickness of other coloring material layers.

Abstract: A multicolor image-forming material which comprises an image-receiving sheet comprising a support having thereon a coating layer including at least an image-receiving layer, and a plurality of heat transfer sheets each comprising a support having coating layers including at least a light-to-heat converting layer and an image-forming layer, wherein the ratio of the optical density (OD) of the image-forming layer in each heat transfer sheet to the layer thickness, OD/layer thickness (&mgr;m unit), is 1.50 or more, the recording area of a multicolor image of the heat transfer sheet is 515 mm or more multiplying 728 mm or more, the definition of a transferred image is 2,400 dpi or more, the coating layer in the image-receiving sheet and/or the coating layers in each heat transfer sheet has at least one layer containing a dispersant and a matting layer having an average particle size of from 0.

Abstract: An image-forming material comprising: an image-receiving sheet comprising a support and an image-receiving layer and; a thermal transfer sheet comprising

Abstract: A method for forming an image using a transfer material and an image-receiving material. The transfer material has at least a support, a light-heat exchange layer and a coloring material layer. The image-receiving material has at least an image-receiving layer. The coloring material layer is superposed on the image-receiving layer, and laser light is imagewasely irradiated onto this laminate from the transfer material side. An irradiated region of the coloring material layer transfers onto the image-receiving layer. The transfer material may include an electroconductive layer, and the surface of the coloring material layer may be charged by corona discharge before superposition. Moreover, yellow, magenta, cyan and black may be used one after another, The laser light may be irradiated from a multi-beam 2-dimensional laser array, The thickness of black coloring material layer is from 0.5 to 0.7 &mgr;m and is greater than the thickness of other coloring material layers.

Abstract: A multicolor image-forming material comprises: an image-receiving sheet having an image-receiving layer; and at least four thermal transfer sheets each including a support, a light-to-heat converting layer and an image-forming layer, in which each of the thermal transfer sheets has a different color, wherein an image is formed by: superposing the image-forming layer in each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets on the image-receiving layer in the image-receiving sheet, in which the image-forming layer is opposed to the image-receiving layer; irradiating the image-forming layer in the thermal transfer sheet with a laser beam; and transferring the irradiated area of the image-forming layer onto the image-receiving layer in the image-receiving sheet, and each of the light-to-heat converting layers in the at least four thermal transfer sheets has a ratio of an optical density (OD) to a layer thickness: OD/layer thickness (&mgr;m unit) of 0.57 or more.

Abstract: A method for forming an image using a transfer material and an image-receiving material. The transfer material has at least a support, a light-heat exchange layer and a coloring material layer. The image-receiving material has at least an image-receiving layer. The coloring material layer is superposed on the image-receiving layer, and laser light is imagewasely irradiated onto this laminate from the transfer material side. An irradiated region of the coloring material layer transfers onto the image-receiving layer. The transfer material may include an electroconductive layer, and the surface of the coloring material layer may be charged by corona discharge before superposition. Moreover, yellow, magenta, cyan and black may be used one after another, The laser light may be irradiated from a multi-beam 2-dimensional laser array, The thickness of black coloring material layer is from 0.5 to 0.7 &mgr;m and is greater than the thickness of other coloring material layers.

Abstract: A method for forming an image using a transfer material and an image-receiving material. The transfer material has at least a support, a light-heat exchange layer and a coloring material layer. The image-receiving material has at least an image-receiving layer. The coloring material layer is superposed on the image-receiving layer, and laser light is imagewasely irradiated onto this laminate from the transfer material side. An irradiated region of the coloring material layer transfers onto the image-receiving layer. The transfer material may include an electroconductive layer, and the surface of the coloring material layer may be charged by corona discharge before superposition. Moreover, yellow, magenta, cyan and black may be used one after another, The laser light may be irradiated from a multi-beam 2-dimensional laser array, The thickness of black coloring material layer is from 0.5 to 0.7 &mgr;m and is greater than the thickness of other coloring material layers.

Abstract: An image-forming material which includes on a support a coating layer containing at least (A) a microcapsule, which encapsulates (1) a leuco dye that forms color upon oxidative development and (2) a photooxidizing agent and (B) a reducing agent, wherein the leuco dye is a xanthene derivative represented by the following formula (1): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, which may be the same or different, each designates a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, or an aryl group; R.sup.3 designates a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group, a halogen atom, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an alkylthio group, or an arylthio group; R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 which may be the same or different, each designates a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, a halogen atom, a trifluoromethyl group, a substituted carbonyl group, or a substituted sulfonyl group; and R.sup.6 designates a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or a substituted carbonyl group; andwherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.

Abstract: A heat-sensitive recording material comprising a support having thereon a color-developing layer and at least one UV-absorbing layer with a light-transmittance of 70% or less at 400 nm, 5% or less at 370 nm, and 70% or more for entire visible light range, is disclosed.