Abstract: A solid colored composition which includes a colorant and an ultraviolet radiation transorber. The colorant, in the presence of the ultraviolet radiation transorber, is adapted, upon exposure of the transorber to ultraviolet radiation, to be mutable. The ultraviolet radiation transorber is adapted to absorb ultraviolet radiation and interact with the colorant to effect the irreversible mutation of the colorant. By way of example, the solid colored composition can be a toner adapted to be utilized in an electrophotographic process. The toner includes the colorant and ultraviolet radiation transorber as just described, and a carrier. The carrier can be a polymer, and the toner may contain a charge carrier. The ultraviolet radiation in general will have wavelengths of from about 100 to about 375 nanometers. Especially useful incoherent, pulsed ultraviolet radiation is produced by a dielectric barrier discharge excimer lamp.

Abstract: An electrophotographic process wherein an image is formed with toner comprising a mutable colorant and an ultraviolet radiation transorber so that an image formed by the electrophotographic process can be altered in color or erased. The electrophotographic process comprises the steps of creating an image on a photoreceptor surface, applying a toner on the photoreceptor surface to form a toner image which replicates the image, transferring the toner image to a substrate, and fixing the toner image to the substrate. The toner comprises a mutable colorant, an ultraviolet radiation transorber, and a carrier comprising a polymer. The ultraviolet radiation transorber is adapted, upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation, to interact with the mutable colorant to irreversibly mutate the mutable colorant from an initial absorption maximum to a new absorption maximum different from the initial absorption maximum.