Patent ID: 6844140

Claim:
A method for forming an image, the method comprising, in order, the steps of: a) thermally imaging an imageable element, the imageable layer comprising an imageable layer over a substrate, and forming imaged regions and complementary unimaged regions in the imageable layer, in which: the imageable layer comprises a thermally sensitive polymer that comprises quaternary ammonium salts of carboxylic acids; and the imaged regions of the imageable layer are more oleophilic and less hydrophilic than the unimaged regions of the imageable layer; b) contacting the imageable layer with an aqueous solution comprising about 0.05 wt % to about 5 wt % of an added organic acid having a pKa of about 1 to about 6; c) contacting the imageable layer with ink; and d) transferring the ink to a receiving material and forming the image.