Abstract: To present a recording material for card excellent in resistance to abrasion, hardly leaving folding crease, and having an adequate rigidity, and various cards using such recording material considering environmental effects, such as scratch card excellent in information concealing performance. A base material composed of one layer or two or more layers in a thickness of 800 &mgr;m or less, of which maximum displacement measured by a nano indentation tester when a load of 4.9 mN is held for 1 second by using a triangular pyramid indenter is 1.1 &mgr;m or more, void content is 25% or less, and rigidity is 4 mN or more.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording sheet exhibiting excellent dot transfer at low energy and excellent ink luster of printed graphics comprises a base material and an ink-receiving layer on at least one side of the base material, the ink-receiving layer having a thickness of not less than 1&mgr; and less than 20 &mgr;m and containing a pigment component composed of not less than 30 wt % of calcined kaolin whose oil absorption value is not less than 45% as measured by the Gardner-Coleman method. The ink-receiving layer contains a hydrophobic binder resin that preferably has a glass transition temperature in the range of −30° C. to +30° C. The calcined kaolin preferably has a mean particle diameter of 1-3 &mgr;m.

Abstract: The present invention provides a coloring mechanism in which hidden letters (including numbers), figures, symbols, images etc. appear by rubbing the surface with metal such as coins etc., and to a recording material provided with this mechanism. In the coloring mechanism of the invention, letters etc. are indicated on a recording face by an ink etc. containing an inorganic pigment with a Mohs hardness of 2 or more, so as to have the same color as or a similar color to the recording face, and the letters etc. are colored to be readable by rubbing with metal the recording face containing the letters etc.