PURPOSE: To enable a longer period of time to be taken for heat transfer and enhance printing quality, by a method wherein transfer is conducted while a heating element spool is moved in contact with an ink or an ink sheet.

CONSTITUTION: A resistance heating wire 1 is wound in a cylindrical form to constitute the heating element spool 3, a plurality of guide rollers 5 arranged on the same circumference of circle are provided in the spool 3, the spool 3 is rotatably supported by the guide rollers 5, and electrodes 6, 7 are provided in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the spool 3. The spool 3 is rotated in the direction of an arrow 15, the electrodes 6, 7 are pressed against a paper 13 through the ink sheet 12 with a force of, e.g., 50W150g per pair of electrodes at the part inclusive of the positions corresponding to the electrodes 6, 7, and the paper 13 and the sheet 12 are fed in the direction of an arrow 16. Since the spool 3 for melting an ink is rotated in accordance with the movement of the ink sheet, a longer period of time can be taken for heat transfer, and need to control thermal hysteresis can be eliminated.