High-speed positive-working photothermographic system

A method of processing a photothermographic element tat has been imagewise exposed, said element having at least one light-sensitive imaging layer comprising a potentially negative-working emulsion comprising light-sensitive silver halide, at least two organic non-halide silver compounds, a first and a second organic non-halide silver compound, wherein a density-inhibiting agent is released by at least one of the organic non-halide silver compounds, and wherein the second organic non-halide silver compound that releases a density-inhibiting agent has a pKsp that is at least 0.5 greater than the pKsp of said first organic non-halide silver compound, and an effective amount of a density inhibitor, which method in order comprises:

• (a) thermally developing the clement without any externally applied developing agent, comprising heating said element to a temperature greater than 150° C. in an essentially dry process to form a positive image in the light-sensitive imaging layer of the photothermographic element, wherein at the temperature of thermal development substantial imagewise inhibition occurs with respect to the exposed areas of the positive image relative to the unexposed areas of the positive image, wherein thermal development of unexposed silver grains in the exposed areas is inhibited relative to the unexposed areas and wherein negative image development is inhibited;
• and
• scanning the positive image to provide a digital electronic record capable of generating a positive image in a display element.

A method of forming a positive image in a photothermographic element that has been imagewise exposed to form a latent image, which element has at least one imaging layer comprising a potentially negative-working emulsion, said method comprising imagewise exposing said element and thermally developing the imagewise exposed element to produce a positive image in said imaging layer, wherein at the temperature of thermal development substantial imagewise inhibition occurs with respect to the exposed areas of the positive image relative to the unexposed areas of the positive image, wherein thermal development of unexposed silver grains in the exposed areas is inhibited relative to the unexposed areas and wherein negative image development is inhibited, and wherein the method further comprises the presence in the element of a developer or precursor thereof, an oxidized developer scavenging agent to remove oxidized developer as it is formed during the thermal development, light-sensitive silver halide, and wherein the imaging layer comprises at least two organic non-halide silver salts, a first and a second organic silver compound, wherein a density-inhibiting agent is released by at least one of the organic silver salts, wherein the second organic silver salt that releases a density-inhibiting agent has a pKsp that is at least 0.5 greater than the pKsp of said first organic silver salt, and wherein the second organic silver salt that releases a density-inhibiting agent comprises a mercapto-functional compound and the first organic silver salt comprises a salt of a benzotriazole-functional compound.