To provide a serial type thermal transfer recorder capable of high resolution and high speed printing and of various printing.

This thermal transfer printer comprises a plurality of serial thermal heads 13a-13c each having heating elements arranged in a high density, a loaded ribbon detecting means 6 that generates ribbon kind data by detecting a kind of an ink transferring ribbon loaded to the printer, an operation mode setting means 8 that generates operation mode data based on the ribbon kind data and a control means that controls operations of the serial thermal heads 13a-13c in accordance with the operation mode data.