PURPOSE: To make it impossible to read a printed image from a thermal transfer film after the completion of the transfer of ink.

CONSTITUTION: A thermal transfer recording apparatus is equipped with a thermal head 13, a platen roller 14 arranged in opposed relation to the thermal head 13 and feeding a thermal transfer film 11 and recording paper 12 through the gap between the thermal head 13 and the platen roller 14 and a heating member 16 heating the thermal transfer film 11 passed through the gap between the thermal head 13 and the platen roller 14 to be released from the recording paper 12 on the side of the base paper not coated with ink of the recording paper to melt ink. Since the ink of the thermal transfer film after the completion of recording is melted by a heating member 16, image data is destructed by the melting of ink.