A heat sensitive transfer sheet that achieves high optical density and high light resistance without generating scumming. The heat sensitive sheet has a base material and a coloring material layer formed on the base material, and the coloring material layer includes a compound represented by the following formula (1) and a particular dye compound: ##STR00001##
wherein
R.sup.11 and R.sup.13 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, an unsubstituted aryl group or an aryl group having a substituent; and
R.sup.12 and R.sup.14 to R.sup.18 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group.

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 is, for example, a compound excellent in light fastness and storage stability. The compound is characterized by having a structure represented by the following formula (1) or (2). ##STR00001##

A heat sensitive transfer sheet that achieves high optical density and high light resistance without generating scumming. The heat sensitive sheet has a base material and a coloring material layer formed on the base material, and the coloring material layer includes a compound represented by the following formula (1) and a particular dye compound:

##STR00001##

wherein
R.sup.11 and R.sup.13 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, an unsubstituted aryl group or an aryl group having a substituent; and
R.sup.12 and R.sup.14 to R.sup.18 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group.

Provided is, for example, a compound excellent in light fastness and storage stability. The compound is characterized by having a structure represented by the following formula (1) or (2).

##STR00001##

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.

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.

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.