Thermal transfer receiving sheet, production method thereof and image forming method using the sheet

A method for producing a thermal transfer receiving sheet comprising a sheet-like support having sequentially formed on at least one surface thereof a hollow particle-containing intermediate layer and an image receiving layer, the method comprising the steps of, after providing said intermediate layer by coating an intermediate layer coating solution comprising hollow particles having an average particle diameter of 0.2 to 35 μm and a hollow percentage by volume of 30 to 97% on at least one surface of said sheet-like support and drying it and/or after providing said image receiving layer on the intermediate layer, wherein said intermediate layer comprises two kinds of hollow particles A and B differing in the average particle diameter and the average particle diameters LA (μm) and LB (μm) of respective hollow particles satisfy all of the following relational formulae (1) to (3):

• LA=2 to 35 μm (1)
• LB=0.2 to 9 μm (2)
• 0.05<LB/LA<0.4 (3),
• applying a smoothing treatment step of passing the sheet through a nip part having a pair of rolls consisting of a heating roll and a press roll so that the printing smoothness (Rp value) on the surface of said thermal transfer receiving sheet, as measured by using Microtopograph under an applied pressure of 0.1 MPa 10 milli-seconds after the initiation of pressure application, can be 1.5 μm or less.