The invention presents a carbon ink with high electric field emission efficiency that can be applied in an inexpensive printing process suitable for mass production, an improved electron-emitting element for an image display device, and a method for manufacturing the electron-emitting element. The invention also presents an image display device with high image quality and efficiency using this electron-emitting element. The image display device includes a patterned conductor on a substrate, and electron-emitting elements made by applying, to predetermined positions of the conductor, a carbon ink made into a paste with an organic binder and a solvent, the ink comprising (i) carbon particles having a 6-membered carbon ring, and (ii) support particles for supporting the carbon particles, and firing the ink.