PURPOSE: To enable to detect the used-up condition of a transfer ribbon, by a method wherein the electric resistance of a trailing end part of a transfer ribbon is set to be different from that of the other parts, and a variation of an electric current flowing between a monitor electrode and a return circuit electrode is detected.

CONSTITUTION: The transfer ribbon 4 is constituted of a base layer 4A having a high resistance and an ink layer 4B having a low resistance, and the trailing end part of the ribbon 4 is constituted of only the base layer 4A so that the resistance thereof is different from that of a recording region. A monitor voltage is impressed on the monitor electrode 3C of a multi-stylus head 3 only when the head 3 is moved, and the monitor voltage is set to be much lower than a recording voltage so that it has no effect on the base layer 4A or the like layer 4B.