Patent ID: 7864205

Claim:
A heat-sensitive transfer image forming method, the method comprising: providing a heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet having a heat insulation layer and a receptor layer on one surface of a support and a heat-sensitive transfer sheet having a heat-sensitive transfer layer containing a dye on one surface of a support and a heat resistant lubricating layer on another surface of the support; superposing the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet and the heat-sensitive transfer sheet so that the receptor layer and the heat-sensitive transfer layer contact with each other; making a thermal head contact with the superposed sheets from the heat resistant lubricating layer side; and applying heat from the thermal head to the heat-sensitive transfer sheet, while making the thermal head and the heat-sensitive transfer sheet move at a relative speed of 60 mm/sec. or more, and thereby transferring the dye from the heat-sensitive transfer layer to the receptor layer to form an image; wherein, in the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet, the heat insulation layer contains hollow polymer particles, and at least one of the receptor layer and the heat insulation layer contains a water-soluble polymer; wherein, in the heat-sensitive transfer sheet, the heat resistant lubricating layer contains inorganic particles in an amount of 0.01% by mass to 5% by mass with respect to the total solid content of the heat resistant lubricating layer, wherein the inorganic particles have Mohs' hardness of 3 to 6 and a mean particle size of 0.3 to 5 Î¼m, and the ratio of the maximum width of each of the inorganic particles to the sphere equivalent diameter thereof is from 1.5 to 50; and wherein, when 0.7 J/cm 2 of energy is applied to the thermal head, the contact distance between the thermal head and the heat resistant lubricating layer is from 350 to 450 Î¼m.