PURPOSE: To obtain the multicolor ink ribbon which enables multicolor printing easily without requiring a printing color change-over mechanism by periodically separating printing colors differing in the transfer direction of the ribbon.

CONSTITUTION: The ink ribbon 11 has color sections such as color sections 121, 122, 123 for printing with the same width repeatedly separated in the order of red, blue and black in the transfer direction. When the ink ribbon 11 constituted in this manner is transported at fixed speed, light from a light emitting section 22 is reflected by means of the ink ribbon 11 and projected to a light receiving section 23 in the vicinity of a printing section, and 2.5V voltage in case of red, 1.5V in case of blue and 0.5V in case of black are outputted. Accordingly, since red detecting signals, blue detecting signals and black detecting signals are each outputted from a comparator 24 and AND circuits 27, 28, the desired color can be printed if driving a printing head when the detecting signals of the desired color.