PURPOSE: To use an electrostatic recording head of an indirect discharge system in obtaining an electrostatic image having a high resolution at a high speed by forming unequal alternating electric fields having the function to screen and confine ions into the aperture of the recording head, screening and confining the positive and negative ions into said aperture and drawing out the ion of either polarity as fine linear ion flow according to an image signal.

CONSTITUTION: The unequal alternating electric fields having the function to confine and screen ions by the current consisting of an AC component and a DC component are formed by power sources 23, 24 in the aperture 21 of a recording head 11 constituted by laminating alternately conductive layers 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and dielectric layers 13, 15, 17, 19. Positive and negative ions are generated in the aperture 21 by the power source 22 and only the positive and negative ions having the specific charge screened by the unequal alternating electric fields and adapted to the image formation are confined in the region B. The necessary ions are drawn out as an ion beam from the optical terminal part by an image pulse source 25 according to the image signal. Said ion beam is accelerated by a DC power source 29, and is guided onto a recording body 26, thereby forming an electrostatic image thereon.