Image forming method and system

An image forming method using a photosensitive material containing photosensitive silver halide grains comprising:

• imagewise exposing a heat-developable photosensitive material which when imagewise exposed is formed with an image by heating,
• superimposing the exposed heat-developable photosensitive material and a processing material used to form an image on the heat-developable photosensitive material by superimposition on and heating with the heat-developable photosensitive material,
• heating the superimposed photosensitive material and the processing material to form the imagewise exposure on the heat-developable photosensitive material,
• peeling the heat-developable photosensitive material formed with the image off the processing material, and
• digitally reading the image on the heat-developable photosensitive material separated from the processing material by the peeling;
• wherein the photosensitive silver halide grains are tabular photosensitive silver halide grains;
• wherein the heating is conducted at a temperature between 60 and 100° C. for between 5 and 60 seconds;
• wherein the photosensitive material has a transparent support provided thereon with at least three photosensitive layers which each includes at least photosensitive silver halide grains, a color developing agent, a coupler and a binder, and which are photosensitive in different wavelength regions, the dyes formed from the oxidized color developing agent and the coupler being different from each other in absorption wavelength region;
• wherein the processing material has a support provided thereon with a processing layer including at least a base and/or a base precursor;
• wherein the photosensitive material and the processing material are superimposed with the photosensitive layers of the photosensitive material and the processing layer of the processing material facing each other in the presence of 0.1 to 1 times the amount of water required to cause maximum swelling of all coating layers of the photosensitive material and the processing material other than their backing layers, whereafter the superimposed photosensitive material and the processing material are heated to form on the photosensitive material an image based on non-diffusible dyes of at least three colors;
• and
• wherein the color developing agent is at least one compound among those represented by general formulas (1) and (2) shown below:
• where R1, R2, R3, and R4 each represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group, an alkylcarbonamido group, an arylcarbonamido group, an alkylsulfonamido group, an arylsulfonamido group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an alkylthio group, an arylthio group, an alkylcarbamoyl group, an arylcarbamoyl group, a carbamoyl group, an alkylsulfamoyl group, an group, a sulfamoyl group, a cyano group, an alkylsulfonyl group, an arylsulfonyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkylcarbonyl group, an arylcarbonyl group, or an acyloxy group;
• R5 represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group;
• Z1 represents an acyl group, a carbamoyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, or an aryloxycarbonyl group;
• X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 each represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent;
• and, the total value of the Hammett's constant (P) of the substituent X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 0.8 or more but 3.8 or below.

An image forming method using a coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material having a support provided thereon with at least three photosensitive layers which are photosensitive in different wavelength regions, each of the layers including at least photosensitive silver halide, a binder and a dye-providing coupler, the dyes formed by the dye-providing coupler being different in hue;

• and a processing material for heat development used to form an image on the coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material by superimposition on and heating with the coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material,
• the method comprising:
• imagewise exposing the coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material,
• superimposing the exposed coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material and the processing material for heat-development,
• heating the superimposed coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material and the processing material for heat development to form dye images of at least three colors on the coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material by the dye-providing couplers,
• peeling the coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material formed with the image off the processing material for development, and
• digitally reading the image on the coupler-containing, heat-developable photosensitive material separated from the processing material by the peeling;
• wherein the photosensitive material contains silver halide grains that are tabular photosensitive silver halide grains;
• wherein the heating is conducted at a temperature between 60 and 100° C. for between 5 and 60 seconds;
• wherein the photosensitive layers provided on the support of the photosensitive material each include at least photosensitive silver halide grains and a color developing agent, and the dyes formed from the oxidized color developing agent and the coupler being different from each other in absorption wavelength region;
• wherein the processing material has a support provided thereon with a processing layer including at least a base and/or a base precursor;
• wherein the photosensitive material and the processing material are superimposed with the photosensitive layers of the photosensitive material and the processing layer of the processing material facing each other in the presence of 0.1 to 1 times the amount of water required to cause maximum swelling of all coating layers of the photosensitive material and the processing material other than their backing layers, whereafter the superimposed photosensitive material and the processing material are heated to form on the photosensitive material an image based on non-diffusible dyes of at least three colors;
• and
• wherein the color developing agent is at least one compound among those represented by general formulas (1) and (2) shown below:
• where R1, R2, R3, and R4 each represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group, an alkylcarbonamido group, an arylcarbonamido group, an alkylsulfonamido group, an arylsulfonamido group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an alkylthio group, an arylthio group, an alkylcarbamoyl group, an arylcarbamoyl group, a carbamoyl group, an alkylsulfamoyl group, an arylsulfamoyl group, a sulfamoyl group, a cyano group, an alkylsulfonyl group, an arylsulfonyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkylcarbonyl group, an arylcarbonyl group, or an acyloxy group;
• R5 represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group;
• Z1 represents an acyl group, a carbamoyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, or an aryloxycarbonyl group;
• X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 each represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent;
• and the total value of the Hammett's constant (P) of the substituent X1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 is 0.8 or more but 3.8 or below.