Magnetic recording medium

A method of recording a magnetic signal on a magnetic recording medium with a recording head and reproducing the magnetic signal with a magnetoresistive head, wherein

• said magnetic recording medium comprises a nonmagnetic layer comprising a nonmagnetic powder and a binder and a magnetic layer comprising a ferromagnetic powder and a binder in this order on a nonmagnetic support,
• said magnetic layer has a squareness ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 in a perpendicular direction,
• said recording head has a gap length of equal to or less than 0.3 micrometer,
• said magnetoresistive head has a shield spacing of equal to or less than 0.2 micrometer,
• said magnetic signal is recorded on the medium in a longitudinal direction at a linear recording density of equal to or greater than 300 Kbpi.

An apparatus comprising a recording head, a magnetoresistive head and a magnetic recording medium, wherein

• said recording head has a gap length of equal to or less than 0.3 micrometer and records a magnetic signal on the medium in a longitudinal direction at a linear recording density of equal to or greater than 300 Kbpi,
• said magnetoresistive heads has a shield spacing of equal to or less than 0.2 micrometer and reproduces the magnetic signal,
• said magnetic recording medium comprises a nonmagnetic layer comprising a nonmagnetic powder and a binder and a magnetic layer comprising a ferromagnetic powder and a binder in this order on a nonmagnetic support, and
• said magnetic layer has a squareness ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 in a perpendicular direction.