Multifunction, direct thermal recording material

A gift card or credit voucher which serves as a debit card and which displays or is capable of displaying original and current values of the card or voucher, which comprises:

• a base support having opposing planar surfaces;
• at least one thermal recording layer formed on at least one planar surface of the base support for displaying a digital photographic image, graphical, numerical or textual information, or combinations thereof;
• and at least one machine readable information storage system contained on or within the base support and/or the thermal recording layer, wherein the thermal recording layer is prepared from an aqueous coating formulation that comprises:
• (1) from about 3 to about 40% by wt., based on the total weight of the coating formulation, of a basic dye selected from the group of 3-di(n-butyl)amino-6-methyl-7-anilinofluorane, 3-(N-ethyl-N-isoamylamino)-6-methyl-7-anilinofluorane, 3-di(n-pentyl)amino-6-methyl-7-anilinofluoran, 3-(N-ethyl-p-toluidino)-6-methyl-7-anilinofluoran, and combinations thereof;
• (2) from about 3 to about 50% by wt., based on the total weight of the coating formulation, of a color developer selected from the group of bis(3-allyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone, N-(p-toluenesulphonyl)-N′-(3-p-toluenesulphonyloxyphenyl)urea, and combinations thereof;
• and
• (3) from about 2 to about 60% by wt., based on the total weight of the coating formulation, of a binder selected from the group of polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol derivatives, starches, starch derivatives, styrene-butadiene copolymer emulsions, and combinations thereof.

A guest card which serves to identify a hotel guest and to provide that guest with room access, which is suitable for insertion into reading devices such as slotted key card systems on a recurring basis, and which comprises:

• a base support having opposing planar surfaces;
• at least one thermal recording layer formed on at least one planar surface of the base support for displaying a digital photographic image, graphical, numerical or textual information, or combinations thereof;
• and at least one machine readable information storage system contained on or within the base support and/or the thermal recording layer, wherein the thermal recording layer is prepared from an aqueous coating formulation that comprises:
• a colorless or pale-colored basic dye;
• a color developer capable of inducing color formation in the basic dye when heated to a suitable temperature;
• and a binder.