Importance

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Abstract

There is provided a thermal developing apparatus comprising a heating medium for heating a light-sensitive thermally developable recording material, the heating medium having fine asperities on its contact surface to come in contact with the light-sensitive thermally developable recording material and a nip transport member for pinching and transporting the light-sensitive thermally developable recording material in cooperation with the heating medium as the light-sensitive thermally developable recording material is held in two-dimensional contact with at least one portion of the contact surface of the heating medium. Even in the case where dust or other foreign matter is deposited on the surface of the heating medium or where a flaw occurs on its surface, the entire surface of the light-sensitive thermally developable recording material can be uniformly heated to achieve thermal development without unevenness in its result, and gas produced during thermal development can be prevented from adversely affect the image, which ensures consistent formation of high-quality images having even and appropriate color densities.

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First Claim