Black and white thermographic recording material with improved diagnostic capability

A thermographic recording process comprising the steps of:

• (i) bringing an outermost layer of a substantially light-insensitive black and white monosheet thermographic recording material having a spectrophotometrically determined maximum absorption for visible light between 570 and 650 nm and comprising a support and a thermosensitive element into proximity with a heat source, said thermosensitive element containing a substantially light-insensitive organic silver salt, an organic reducing agent therefor in thermal working relationship therewith and a binder;
• (ii) applying heat from said heat source imagewise to said thermographic recording material while maintaining proximity to said heat source to produce an image;
• and (iii) removing said thermographic recording material from said heat source, wherein said substantially light-insensitive black and white monosheet thermographic recording material contains at least two colorants with maximum absorption at a wavelength between 450 nm and 700 nm;
• none of said at least two colorants is an antihilation dye;
• and at least one of said at least two colorants is incorporated in said support, and the other of said at least two colorants is incorporated in said thermosensitive element, in a layer on the other side of said support to said thermosensitive layer or a combination thereof.

A photothermographic recording process comprising the steps of:

• (i) imagewise exposing a black and white monosheet photothermographic recording material having a spectrophotometrically determined maximum absorption for visible light between 570 and 650 m and comprising a support and a photo-addressable thermally developable element, said photo-addressable thermally developable element containing a substantially light-insensitive organic silver salt, an organic reducing agent therefor in thermal working relationship therewith, photosensitive silver halide in catalytic association with said substantially light-insensitive organic silver salt and a binder;
• (ii) bringing an outermost layer of said photothermographic recording material in proximity with a heat source;
• (iii) applying heat from the heat source to the photothermographic recording material under substantially water-free conditions while maintaining proximity to the heat source to produce an image;
• and (iv) removing the photothermographic recording material from the heat source, wherein said black and white monosheet photothermographic recording material contains at least two colorants with maximum absorptions at a wavelength between 450 nm and 700 nm;
• at least one of said at least two colorants is incorporated in said support, and the other of said at least two colorants is incorporated in said thermosensitive element, in a layer on the other side of said support to said thermosensitive layer or a combination thereof;
• and none of said at least two colorants has a maximum absorption at a wavelength within 30 nm of the wavelength at which maximum spectral sensitivity of said photothermographic recording material is observed.