A process of forming a single color image comprising:a) imagewise exposing, by means of a laser, a dye-ablative recording element comprising a support having thereon, in order, a hydrophilic dye-receiving layer, a hydrophobic dye-barrier layer, and a hydrophilic, water-soluble, infrared-absorbing layer which absorbs at a given wavelength of the laser used to expose the element, thereby imagewise heating the infrared-absorbing layer and the dye-barrier layer, causing them to ablate;b) removing the ablated infrared-absorbing layer and dye-barrier layer material;c) contacting the imagewise-exposed element with an aqueous ink solution and thereby removing the remaining infrared-absorbing layer; andd) drying the element to obtain a single color image in the ablative recording element.