To provide a color thermal printing method producing a print with a higher image quality.

After a magenta thermal coloring layer 32 is fixed optically, a thermal head 18 performs heat treatment by hot pressing a color thermal recording sheet 10 with such thermal energy as not causing coloring of a cyan thermal coloring layer 31. Since bubbles resulting from nitrogen gas generated during optical fixing are removed without breaking the thermal coloring layer, surface of a recording sheet 10 is smoothed and coloring is improved. Glossiness of the recording sheet 10 is thereby enhanced and a print having a higher image quality can be obtained.