Patent ID: 7267933

Claim:
An image forming method comprising: providing a sheet of a photothermographic material comprising, on at least one surface of a support, at least a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent for silver ions and a binder, wherein the non-photosensitive organic silver salt containing 30 mol % to 85 mol % of silver behenate, and imagewise exposing and thermally developing continuously said sheet of the photothermographic material during transportation at a transportation speed of 23 mm/sec or faster using a thermal developing apparatus having an image exposing station and a developing station, wherein the imagewise exposing is started from a leading end of the sheet of the photothermographic material followed by thermal development which is started before completing the imagewise exposing up to a posterior end of the sheet of the photothermographic material; wherein a hue angle (hab) of the image according to JIS Z 8729 at an optical density D of 1.2 is within the following range: 185°<hab<260°.