PURPOSE: To print with uniform and stable image quality, by a method wherein an ink doner sheet and a recording paper are heated while pressing them by a back platen so that an ink on the ink doner sheet is melted and is transferred onto the recording paper.

CONSTITUTION: The surface of a heating plate 2 is uniformly heated from the inside by a heater 3. When the surface of the plate 2 is uniformly heated, a relief printing master 1 having a lower face contacting with the surface of the plate 2 is also uniformly heated. In this case, an electric current supplied to the heater 3 is controlled by a thermistor 4 so that the master 1 is heated to a predetermined temperature. When the master 1 is heated, the part of a heat- fusible ink layer 5b of the ink donor sheet 5 corresponding to a printing surface 1a is melted, and is transferred onto the recording paper 6 pressed thereto. Accordingly, since the image is transfer printed from the ink donor sheet onto the recording paper, the image can be printed always with stable image quality.