PURPOSE: To ensure that ink is transferred to recording paper and that the paper is flawless by using the recording paper consisting of at least, a substrate, a surface coat layer and a cushion layer applied between the former two.

CONSTITUTION: Ink film 32 with colors such as yellow(Y), magenta(M) and cyan(C) applied sequentially applied is used and density gradation data is recorded for each color. Initially 'Y' ink is thermally melted with a thermal head and the molten ink is transferred as the first color ink. In this case, record ing paper 31 is slightly depressed. Next, when 'M' ink is transferred as the second color ink, the second color ink is not cut, because the layers including an intermediate cushion layer 12 upto the first color ink of recording paper 31 are depressed by uniform application of pressure due to the foamed urethane of the intermediate cushion layer 12 becoming elastic. In addition, the surface coat layer 13 becomes hard enough not to allow generation of flaws.