PURPOSE: To make it possible to use at high temperatures a hot-melt ink layer comprising a vehicle and coloring agent provided on a substrate by a method wherein the vehicle cotains a specific ratio of polyester oxide and melting point of the ink layer is set at a specific temperature or higher.

CONSTITUTION: In a hot-melt ink layer comprising a vehicle and coloring agent provided on a substrate of thermal transfer recording medium. a vehicle containing 50-100 pts.wt. of polyethylene oxide wax per 100 pts.wt. of vehicle is employed. Since the principal component of the vehicle is polyethylene oxide wax having high melting point, melting point of the hot-melt ink layer is 95°C or higher, and hence the recording medium can be used at high temperatures. And in a recording medium wherein a hot-melt ink layer is provided on a substrate through a mold-release layer composed mainly of wax-like substance, the mold-release layer is composed of wax-like substance containing 60-100 pts.wt. of polyethylene wax per 100 pts.wt. of wax-like substance.