Process for image formation by silver salt diffusion transfer

A process for image formation by silver salt diffusion transfer which comprises developing an imagewise exposed photosensitive element containing a photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer with an alkaline processing element containing a silver halide solvent to thereby convert at least part of the silver halide present in the unexposed area of the emulsion layer into a transferable silver complex and then transferring at least part of the silver complex to an image-receiving element containing an image-receiving layer containing silver-precipitating nuclei to thereby form an image on the image-receiving element, said silver halide emulsion contained in the silver halide emulsion layer in the photosensitive element being a tabular grain emulsion which is obtained by chemically sensitizing tabular silver halide grains and depositing a silver iodobromide having a silver iodide content of from 2 to 15 mol % on the surface of the resulting grains in an amount of from 3 to 20 mol % and which has a total average silver iodide content of from 0.5 to 3.5 mol % and an average aspect ratio of from 2 to 20, and being a mixture of two or more kinds of emulsions each containing monodisperse tabular grains having a projected area corresponding circle diameter of from 0.5 to 10 .mu.m, and said photosensitive element, image-receiving element, and processing element satisfying the relationship shown by the following equation (1):

• (Ts+Tr).times.5.ltoreq.D<(Ts+Tr).times.5+20 .mu.m (1)
• wherein Ts (.mu.m) is the thickness of the photosensitive element on the silver halide emulsion layer side, excluding a support, Tr (.mu.m) is the thickness of the silver-precipitating-nuclei-containing image-receiving layer in the image-receiving element, and D (.mu.m) is the thickness of the spread liquid of the processing element.