Patent ID: 6972139

Claim:
A thermal dye donor element comprising a support and a dye layer, wherein the dye layer comprises a dye and a binder of the following formula: wherein each R 1 is an alkyl group of from 0 to 5 carbon atoms, wherein each alkyl group independently can be linear, branched, or cyclic; each R 2 is a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group of from 4 to 25 carbon atoms, or an aryl group of from 4 to 25 carbon atoms, wherein the aryl group is not unsubstituted phenyl; a represents a mole % of from 0 to 98; b represents a mole % of from 1 to 98; c represents a mole % of from 0 to 12; d represents a mole % of from 0 to 2; and the sum of a, b, c, and d equals 100, and the copolymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from 40° C. to 55° C.