A thermal transfer recording sheet includes a base material and, on the base material, a yellow-dye layer containing a yellow dye, a magenta-dye layer containing a magenta dye, and a cyan-dye layer containing a cyan dye. The yellow dye and the cyan dye contain compounds having specific structures.

A coloring compound comprises a triphenylmethane structure having specific substituents.

The present invention provides a Sublimation thermal transfer sheet capable of coping with high-speed printers, securing desired densities, and further excellent in the lightfastness and the durability of the print, and a combination of the Sublimation thermal transfer sheet and a transfer receiving article. In the Sublimation thermal transfer sheet provided with at least a yellow colorant layer, a magenta colorant layer, and a cyan colorant layer provided in this order on a substrate, as being frame sequentially, predetermined colorants are contained in predetermined contents in the yellow colorant layer and the magenta colorant layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording sheet that provides an image that is excellent in light fastness and has a satisfactory imbalance. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording sheet including a substrate and dye layers (a yellow dye layer, a magenta dye layer, and a cyan dye layer), in which one or more kinds of the dye layers each contain one or more kinds of specific compounds. The present invention also relates to a thermal transfer recording sheet including a substrate, dye layers, and a protective layer for protecting the surface of an image, in which the protective layer contains one or more kinds of specific compounds.

Provided are a sublimation thermal transfer sheet and a combination of a sublimation thermal transfer sheet and a transfer receiving article that meet the demand for increase in the density of a color image to be formed, that prevent decrease in the adhesiveness of a protective layer optionally formed on the color image.

In a sublimation thermal transfer sheet including a substrate and yellow, magenta, and cyan colorant layers provided on one surface of the substrate, the yellow, magenta, and cyan colorant layers each contain at least a binder resin and a sublimable dye having a molar absorption coefficient of not less than 50000 and a molecular weight of not more than 650, and the average of the mass ratios of the respective binder resins and sublimable dyes (sublimable dye/binder resin) in the yellow, magenta, and cyan colorant layers is not less than 0.7.

A thermal transfer recording sheet set includes an image-receiving sheet that includes an image-receiving layer containing a compound represented by general formula (1) or (2) and an ink sheet that includes a yellow coloring material layer containing a particular dye and a cyan coloring material layer containing a particular dye.

A thermal transfer recording sheet includes a base material and, on the base material, a yellow-dye layer containing a yellow dye, a magenta-dye layer containing a magenta dye, and a cyan-dye layer containing a cyan dye. The yellow dye and the cyan dye contain compounds having specific structures.

In a thermal transfer recording sheet including a base material and a colorant layer, the colorant layer includes a yellow dye layer containing a yellow dye, a magenta dye layer containing a magenta dye, and a cyan dye layer containing a cyan dye, and the cyan dye includes a compound represented by Formula (Ia) or Formula (Ib):

##STR00001##

where R.sub.1 to R.sub.7 are substituents, X.sup. is an anion, and the compound of Formula (Ib) has at least one anionic substituent.

A thermal transfer recording sheet set includes an image-receiving sheet that includes an image-receiving layer containing a compound represented by general formula (1) or (2) and an ink sheet that includes a yellow coloring material layer containing a particular dye and a cyan coloring material layer containing a particular dye.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer sheet which can prevent a kick and a scumming, and can form a photographic tone color image of high quality with a continuous tone image by sublimation transfer, while expanding the range of choices for colorants to be included in a colorant layer; a coating liquid for colorant layer to be used for forming the colorant layer of this thermal transfer sheet; a method for manufacturing this thermal transfer sheet; and image forming method employing this thermal transfer sheet. The problem is solved by a thermal transfer sheet (1) in which at least a colorant layer (3) is layered on a substrate sheet (2), wherein the colorant layer (3) contains a predetermined solvent, a colorant (10x) dispersible in the predetermined solvent, a dispersant, and a binder resin, and the dispersant being one or more selected from the group consisting of polyether-based dispersants, graft type polymer dispersants, acryl-based block type polymer dispersants, urethane-based polymer dispersants and azo-based dispersants.