Multicolor image-forming method and multicolor image-forming material

A method for forming a multicolor image, which comprises:

• preparing:
• an image-receiving sheet having a support and an image-receiving layer;
• and at least four thermal transfer sheets each including a support, a light-to-heat converting layer and an image-forming layer, in which each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets has a different color, and each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets has a recording area of a multicolor image being defined by a product of a length of 515 mm or more and width of 728 mm or more and each of the image-forming layers in the at least four thermal transfer sheets has the ratio of an optical density (OD) to a layer thickness:
• OD/layer thickness (μm unit) of 1.80 or more;
• superposing the image-forming layer in each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets on the image-receiving layer in the image-receiving sheet, in which the image-forming layer is opposed to the image-receiving layer;
• irradiating the image-forming layer in each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets with a laser beam;
• and
• transferring the irradiated area of the image-forming layer onto the image-receiving layer in the image-receiving sheet to record an image, and
• transferring the image on the image-receiving layer to an actual printing paper, in which, when the image is transferred, the image-receiving sheet and the actual printing paper are disposed on a heat roller so that the image-receiving sheet is disposed over the actual printing paper.

A multicolor image-forming material comprising:

• an image-receiving sheet having an image-receiving layer and a support;
• and
• at least four thermal transfer sheets each including a support, a light-to-heat converting layer and an image-forming layer, in which each of the thermal transfer sheets has a different color,
• wherein a multicolor image is formed by:
• superposing the image-forming layer in each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets on the image-receiving layer in the image-receiving sheet, in which the image-forming layer is opposed to the image-receiving layer;
• irradiating the image-forming layer in each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets with a laser beam;
• and transferring the irradiated area of the image-forming layer onto the image-receiving layer in the image-receiving sheet to form an image, and
• each of the image-forming layers in the at least four thermal transfer sheets has a ratio of an optical density (OD) to a layer thickness:
• OD/layer thickness (μm unit) of 1.50 or more, and
• the transferred image onto the image-receiving sheet has a resolution of 2,400 dpi or more, and
• a color matching process is performed before the image is recorded on the image-receiving sheet.