PURPOSE: To write date information in image information easily and simplify the constitution of a device by writing character patterns generated corresponding to input codes generated by a timer device in the image information stored in a temporary storage means.

CONSTITUTION: The main control part 11 of an image information storing and retrieving device is provided with a CPU12 which performs various kinds of control, a main memory 13, and a page buffer 14 having capacity corresponding to one unit of image information. Further, the control part 11 is provided with a compressing/expanding circuit 15, display interface 16, etc., and an optical disk device 20, keyboard 23, timer device 29, magnetic disk device 27, character pattern generator 30, CRT display device 24, etc., are connected to the control part 11. Then, character patterns generated corresponding to input codes generated by the timer device 29 are written in the image information stored in the page buffer 14 to write the data information in the image information easily, facilitating the retrieval of the image information.