PURPOSE: To enhance a recording speed and to dispense with buffer memory having large capacity while eliminating the limit in the length of a recording picture in the sub-scanning direction thereof, by moving paper to be transferred at a sub-scanning speed during sub-scanning and moving a transfer medium within a range of the length of each color.

CONSTITUTION: Paper 13 to be transferred is subjected to sub-scanning toward the arrow 16 and a transfer medium 11 moves toward the arrow 15 at the same speed as the paper 13 and a non-transfer part is successively supplied onto a recording part 18Y. As mentioned above, sub-scanning of yellow is successively performed and, when the part recorded on the recording part 18Y reaches a position 2 in this side of a recording part 18M, the paper 13 to be transferred and the transfer medium 11 are stopped and, at the same time, the application of a signal to a scanning head 12Y is also stopped. By this mechanism, the transfer medium and the paper to be transferred require no reversible motion and, therefore, stable operation to color shift can be assured. In this case, timewise delay is generated but simultaneous recording of each color is enabled and the enhancement of a recording speed is achieved. Further, the recording length of the recording picture in the sub-scanning direction thereof accompanies substantially no limit.