To provide a recording means in which an ink to be used for full-color recording is specified by use of spectral characteristics, which is one of physical properties, and hence a full-color recording of high quality is performed at a low cost, by utilizing a recording ink comprising a colorant and a solvent dissolving the same which has a value in a specific range for a proportion of the integral of the absorbance thereof in a specific range of wave length.

Use is made of an ink in the analysis of which with a spectrophotometer a/b value is as follows, wherein a represents an integral of the absorbance in the range of λ±25nm wherein λnm is the wave length at which the maximum absorbance is observed and b represents an integral of the absorbance between 400 and 700nm: a/b ≥0.40 when λnm (the wave length at which the maximum absorbance is observed) is less than 500nm, a/b≥0.45 when λnm is 500 to 600nm, and a/b ≥0.40 when λnm is 600nm or more. This recording ink has high lightness and high saturation of color and, in full-color recording, the decrease in lightness and saturation of color upon color mixing can be reduced by using this ink, so that matching of primary colors can be carried out with ease. This also enables the reduction of the time, expense and cost required to the development of an ink.