PURPOSE: To enable an ink sheet to be securely released, by a method wherein when releasing an ink sheet, a rotary brush is made to act on a bent part of the ink sheet to separate the leading end of the ink sheet from a recording sheet.

CONSTITUTION: When releasing the ink sheet 1 from the recording sheet 2 by separating the sheet 1 by bending it through a releasing member 5 after thermal transfer by a thermal head 3, the rotary brush 16 is made to act on the bent part of the ink sheet 1, thereby separating the leading end of the recording sheet 2 from the ink sheet 1. The brush 16 comprises a filling consisting of conductive fibers having such softness as not to scrape off an ink transferred to the recording sheet 2, and remove electrostatic charges present at the released part. Accordingly, the leading end of the recording sheet 2 is prevented from being entangled to the side of the ink sheet 1 at the time of separation by bending, and the sheets 2 and 1 can be securely released from each other.