Heat-sensitive recording medium displaying gold metal tone, and/or heat-sensitive recording medium displaying two different color tones

Abstract

A main purpose of the present invention is to provide a heat-sensitive recording medium that utilizes a chromogenic reaction between a dye precursor and a developer, wherein a colored image is tinged with a metallic luster so as to exhibit a gold metal color tone with a vivid appearance, or to provide a heat-sensitive recording medium exhibiting a yellow or gold metal color tone and a color tone different from the yellow or gold metal color tone, wherein the color optical density in each of the color tones is high, and a recording part has excellent color separation properties. The present invention provides a heat-sensitive recording medium comprising a heat-sensitive recording layer containing a dye precursor and a developer on a support, the dye precursor being a dye precursor which is colored to a yellow color tone, wherein: (a) the support has a metallic luster and provides a metallic luster to a surface of a base material not having a metallic luster; and/or (b) the dye precursor which is colored to a yellow color tone is a first dye precursor, and the heat-sensitive recording medium further contains a second dye precursor which is colored to a different color tone from the first dye precursor; the first dye precursor being a compound having a specific pyridine skeleton; and the second dye precursor: (b1) has a form of fine composite particles containing the second dye precursor and a polymer compound; or (b2) has a melting point of 200° C. or more.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.