Patent ID: 8329382

Claim:
A method of providing an image comprising: A) thermally imaging a negative-working imageable element that comprises a hydrophilic substrate and has thereon a thermally-sensitive imageable layer comprising an infrared radiation absorbing compound and polymeric particles that coalesce upon thermal exposure, to provide an imaged element with exposed regions and non-exposed regions, the exposed regions comprising coalesced polymeric particles, and B) contacting the imaged element with a processing solution having a pH greater than 7 to about 14 to remove polymeric particles in the non-exposed regions, the processing solution comprising water-swellable core-shell polymeric particles that are different from the polymeric particles in the imageable layer, wherein the core of the water-swellable core-shell polymeric particles is composed of a hydrophobic thermoplastic polymer, and the shell of the water-swellable core-shell polymeric particles is composed of a hydrophilic polymer that is covalently bonded to the core hydrophobic thermoplastic polymer.