Lithographic type diffusion transfer developing composition

Claim 1

A process for producing a high contrast image having a sharp toe-gradation which comprises exposing a silver halide light-sensitive material and developing using a diffusion transfer development process for developing the silver halide light-sensitive material and producing an image in an image receiving layer containing diffusion transfer nuclei, the improvement comprising using, as a lithographic type diffusion transfer developer, a developer prepared from a developer composition containing (1) a developing agent comprising: (A) one or more 3-pyrazolidones and/or one or more aminophenols and (B) one or more polyhydroxybenzenes; (2) an alkali; (3) a silver halide dissolving agent; and (4) at least one of the amines represented by the following general formulae (I), (II) and (III): H.sub.2 N-C.sub.n H.sub.2n -X (I) wherein X represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, a carboxy group or an amino group, n represents an integer of 1-12, ##STR4## wherein X and X' represent hydrogen atoms, hydroxy groups, carboxy groups or amino groups, n and m represent integers of 1-12, ##STR5## wherein X represents an oxygen atom, --CH 2 -- or --NR 2 --, R 1 and R 2 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or substituted alkyl group each having 1-12 carbon atoms or an acyl group of the formula R 3 CO- wherein R 3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group or an alkenyl group each having 1-12 carbon atoms, and n represents an integer of 2 or 3, and where the recited components of the developer composition are present in the developer composition in proportions such that, in 1 liter of developer prepared from said developer composition, the recited components are present in the following amounts: (1) developing agent comprising components (A) and (B): about 1.01 g to about 70 g; (2) alkali: about 1 g to about 200 g; (3) silver halide dissolving agent: about 1 g to about 100 g; and (4) amine: 0.5 to 250 g.