A high‐sensitivity, ablative dye‐in‐polymer film which can be written and read with a GaAs diode laser has been identified and evaluated. A 105‐nm‐thick antireflecting film, consisting of 20% of a carbocyanine dye (NK1748) dissolved in poly(vinyl acetate) on an aluminized glass substrate, was ∼3.5 times more sensitive at 835 nm than a 15‐nm Te monolayer on a poly(methyl methacrylate) substrate; submicron marks were recorded. The signal contrast (Rf−Ri) /(Rf+Ri) of large marks in the plateau region was ∼0.5. Morphological studies show the expected removal of recording material in the process of mark formation.