To provide a thermal transfer printer constituted so that an ink ribbon is prevented from coming into contact with a self-adhesive material when it passes the head cover of a thermal sheet.

In a thermal transfer printer having a platen roller 7, a thermal head 8 made free in the contact and separation with respect to the platen roller 7 and capable of taking a head-down state at a time of recording and a head-up state at a time of non-recording and the head cover 18 attached to the thermal head 8, a projection 19 is attached to the undersurface of the head cover 18 at a predetermined position to form a gap between an ink ribbon and the undersurface of the head cover 18.