PURPOSE: To record a high-quality image even on a medium to be transferred having a low surface smoothness and obtain a multicolor image without setting the medium to be transferred in a complicated operation, by wherein an image to be transferred is formed on a transfer recording medium by imparting at least one energy of light and heat according to a recording information, and is transferred onto a medium to be transferred.

CONSTITUTION: A light of a wave length to which an image-forming element 31 reacts is emitted sequentially to the entire area of a heating part of a thermal head 2 superimposed on a transfer recording medium 1. When a light of wave length λ(Y) is emitted to a transfer recording layer 1a to cause thermal resistors 2b, 2dW2f to heat, an image- forming element 31 to which a heat and the light of wave length λ(Y) are given, hardens among other image-forming elements 31 containing yellow coloring materials. Next when lights of wave lengths λ(M), λ(C) and λ(K) are sequentially emitted to the transfer recording layer 1a, and at the same time, a selected thermal resistor is allowed to heat, an image-forming element 31, to which a light and heat are applied, hardens, and finally an image to be transferred is formed on the transfer recording layer 1 by an image-forming element 31 which has not hardened. This image to be transferred is transferred to recording paper 11.