Half-tone imaging by laser-induced film transfer to textured receptor

摘要

A method of imaging is provided. The method of half tone imaging comprising the steps of: (a) assembling in mutual contact a receptor sheet and a colorant donor sheet, said colorant donor sheet comprising a support bearing a thermofusible colorant layer comprising a binder, a colorant and an absorber; (b) exposing the assembly to scanned laser radiation of a wavelength absorbed by said absorber, said laser radiation being focussed to a spot of area A mu m<2> at the plane of the colorant transfer layer and being modulated in accordance with digital half tone image information, and thereby causing exposed portions of the colorant layer to soften or melt and adhere preferentially to the receptor sheet; (c) peeling apart said receptor sheet and colorant donor sheet; characterize in that said receptor sheet comprises a support having a textured receptor layer surface comprising a plurality of protrusions projecting above the plane of the outer surface of said receptor layer by an average distance of no greater than about 8 mu m, there being on average at least 1 of such protrusions per area of A mu m<2>.