Abstract: A process for the manufacture of a thermal transfer donor element having at least two areas of thermally transferable colorant, at least one of said areas being a thermal dye transfer composition and at least one of said areas being a thermal mass transfer composition, which process comprises coating a first thermal dye or mass transferable layer containing a colorant onto a temporary substrate to form a primary thermal transfer element, said layer having a measurable surface area, and either 1) thermally transferring less than all of said layer onto a second temporary substrate having a non-imagewise distributed area of a second thermally respectively mass or dye transferable colorant thereon to form a thermal transfer donor element with at least two areas of different thermally transferable materials, or 2) splicing a portion of only one primary thermal dye or mass transfer element onto another thermal transfer element having at least a non-imagewise distributed second thermal mass or dye, transferable, res

Abstract: A thermal mass transfer donor element comprising a carrier layer having on one surface thereof a mass transferable layer of thermoplastic organic polymeric binder and metal flakes, said metal flakes having an average ratio of length to thickness of greater than 20:1.