Direct thermal recording process

A direct thermal recording process wherein a direct thermal recording material is heated dot-wise and said direct thermal recording material comprises on a substrate an imaging layer, the imaging layer containing uniformly distributed in a film-forming polymeric binder (i) one or more substantially light-insensitive organic silver salts being no double salts, said silver salt(s) being in thermal working relationship with (ii) an organic reducing agent therefor, wherein said reducing agent is a benzene compound the benzene nucleus of which is substituted with a substitutent linked to said benzene nucleus by means of a carbonyl group, wherein said carbonyl group is linked to said benzene nucleus at a position which is designated the 1-position of said benzene nucleus, wherein said benzene nucleus is further substituted in a 3-position relative to the 1-position with a single hydroxy group and in a 4-position relative to the 1-position with a single hydroxy group, wherein said reducing agent is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl or aryl ester of 3,4dihydroxybenzoic acid, 3,4-dihydroxy-benzaldehyde, 3,4-dihydroxy-benzamide and an alkyl or aryl (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) ketone.