Abstract: A water fixable toner powder is provided for making powder images that can be transferred and fixed with good image quality onto receiving material such as paper by being covered with water, squeegeed and subsequently pressed against the receiving material. The individual particles of the toner powder consist essentially of hydrolyzed polyvinyl ester that is swellable but insoluble in water at a temperature up to 30.degree. C., such preferably as polyvinyl alcohol having a degree of hydroylsis above 98% and an average molecular weight of at least 4,000, together with finely divided filler material that is insoluble and non-swellable in water and is present in an amount of between 10 and 60% by volume. Other additives such as coloring material and/or a polarity control agent may also be present in the binder of hydrolyzed polyvinyl ester. Preferred forms of the toner particles are porous and have a specific surface of between 0.6 and 2m.sup.2 /g.

Abstract: Powder images are transferred and fixed onto receiving supports of absorbent material such as paper so as to form copies of fine quality without need for heating or for applying solvent vapors to make the images sticky, by forming each powder image of water-absorbent powder particles that soften on absorbing water, transporting the powder image on a resiliently deformable, hydrophobic support surface to a transfer zone for transfer under pressure onto the receiving material, and in a treatment zone spaced ahead of the transfer zone covering the hydrophobic support surface and the powder image with water and directly afterward squeegeeing water from the wetted image and support surface.