An imageable material can be used to form a mask element that in turn is useful for providing relief images such as in flexographic printing plates. The imageable material has, in order: (a) a transparent polymeric carrier sheet; (b) a non-ablatable light-to-heat converting having an average dry thickness of 1-5 m and comprising: (i) an infrared radiation absorbing material at 0.1-5 weight %; (ii) a thermally crosslinked organic polymeric binder material; and (iii) non-thermally ablatable particles having an average particle size of 0.1-20 m in an amount of 0.2-10 weight %; and (c) a non-silver halide thermally-ablatable imaging layer (IL) disposed on the LTHC layer, the IL comprising a second infrared radiation absorbing material and a UV-light absorbing material dispersed within one or more thermally-ablatable polymeric binder materials.

Printing process in which a substrate to be printed is disposed opposite an ink carrier having an ink layer, the ink layer being irradiated regionally by a laser beam, said layer accelerating by absorption of the laser beam in the substrate direction, wherein for laser absorption the ink layer comprises reflective particles, a solvent, and a soluble polymer, wherein the reflective particles have an aspect ratio>25, the aspect ratio being defined as the average particle size/average particle thickness.

The invention relates to a method for transferring colored markings or labels onto plastic surfaces by means of a laser beam, to a transfer medium for carrying out said method and to articles, the plastic surfaces of which are laser-marked or laser-labeled by way of such a method.

A thermal imaging system comprises a substrate, stacked graphene arrays on the substrate, and a number of bandpass filters separating the stacked graphene arrays.

An ink is used for forming a photothermal conversion layer used for causing expansion of at least a portion of a thermal expansion layer of a thermal expansion sheet. The ink includes (i) an inorganic infrared absorbing agent having a higher absorptivity in at least one region of an infrared light spectrum than in a visible light spectrum, and (ii) a base that is transparent to visible light.

An ink for forming a photothermal conversion layer used to cause at least a portion of a thermal expansion layer of a thermal expansion sheet to swell. The ink includes an inorganic infrared absorbing agent having a higher absorptivity in at least one region of the infrared light spectrum than in the visible light spectrum.

Provided is a thermal recording material on which a high contrast image can be formed by exposure to infrared laser radiation. The thermal recording material comprises a light-transmittable support having thereon at least an infrared absorbing layer, a thermal recording layer and a protective layer in order from the closest to the farthest from the support, wherein the infrared absorbing layer comprises an infrared absorbing dye having a ratio of a molar absorption coefficient at 830 nm (?(830)) to a molar absorption coefficient at 365 nm (?(365)) (?(830)/?(365)) of 4.0 or more, and wherein the thermal recording layer comprises a light-insensitive organic silver salt and is substantially free of a light-sensitive silver halide.

A positive-working lithographic printing plate precursor includes a coating optimized for producing a minimum extent of ablation when exposed to heat and/or light. The coating includes an infrared absorbing agent which contains a structural element according to Formula I:

##STR00001##

wherein A represents SR.sup.1 wherein R.sup.1 represents an optionally substituted alkyl, aralkyl, alkaryl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, or heteroaryl group, and/or combinations thereof; and Q=CHRCHR, CRCR or CHRCHRCHR and R, R and R independently represent hydrogen, an alkyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, alkaryl, aryl or heteroaryl group, or R and R or R and R form together a cyclic structure.

The present invention relates to a screen printing formulation a method of processing a heat transfer with the screen printing formulation for use in garment industry. The raw materials of the screen printing formulation are derived from renewable plant-based resources. It can be printed and cured by adopting current heat transfer processing technology with comparably short curing time of 0.5 hour. The cured screen printing formulation contains bio-based content as high as 93% with strength and elasticity comparable with typical TPU counterparts. The bio-based heat transfer can perform comparable performance comparing with fossil-based polyurethane and silicone heat transfer. Moreover, when applying the bio-based heat transfer on garments or fabrics, it is able to adhere firmly without peel off, cracking, shrinkage, wrinkle and color migration even after repeated laundry wash and dry, fulfilling quality standard tests of garment industry.

A laser markable composition includes (a) an aqueous medium; (b) capsules composed of a polymeric shell surrounding a core; (c) a colour developing agent or colour developing agent precursor; and (d) an optothermal converting agent; characterized in that the core of the capsule contains a leuco dye.