To provide a printing apparatus capable of suitably performing both of photographic printing using a single-color ribbon and photographic printing using a multi-color ribbon (horizontal-striped ribbon) in accordance with user's demands and purposes, and also, capable of efficiently forming a color photographic print by automating ribbon-switching.

The printing apparatus 10 is configured to transfer ink on a color ink ribbon to a lenticular sheet 12 to thereby create the color 3D print. The printing apparatus 10 includes: a Gatling type ribbon switching rotary mechanism 250 into which five ink ribbons are loaded; a ribbon detection sensor configured to detect the type or the like of the color ink ribbons actually loaded into the Gatling type ribbon switching rotary mechanism 250; a ribbon head-detector including a ribbon head-detecting sensor configured to detect the position of the head of each color ink in the case where the multi-color ribbon is loaded into the mechanism; wherein the Gatling type ribbon switching rotary mechanism 250 and the ribbon head-detector are controlled according to a time of photographic printing using the single-color ribbon and a time of photographic printing using the multi-color ribbon.