Method of making metallic coatings

A metallic toner fluid composition that contains (A) electrostatically charged, colloidal elemental metal particles dispersed in an electrically nonconductive organic carrier liquid having a dielectric constant less than about 3.5 and a volume resistivity greater than about 1012 ohm-cm, (B) a soluble surfactant in an amount sufficient to charge and stabilize the colloidal metal dispersion, and (C) an effective amount of organosol particles and/or a soluble polymer that is not a soluble surfactant (B). Also disclosed at a substrate coated with elemental metallic toner fluid particles. The coated substrate can act as a donor substrate for thermal mass transfer of images to a secondary receiving substrate by performing either or both of the following steps, in any order: a) transferring the elemental metal coating from the primary substrate to the secondary receiving substrate; b) contacting the elemental metal coated primary or secondary substrate with an electroless metal plating solution.