| abstract |
The invention provides a heat-sensitive recording material including, as a heat-fusible substance, a derivative of a higher fatty acid in which one or more hydrogen atoms in an alkyl group are replaced with hydroxyl groups, and a preferable derivative of the higher fatty acid is a derivative of 12-hydroxystearic acid. The invention also provides a heat-sensitive recording method, which includes the steps of applying thermal energy via a thermal head having an uppermost layer whose carbon content is 90% or higher, to a heat-sensitive recording material. |