To provide a thermal printer and thermal recording method, which cleans the recording surface of a thermal head without increasing a cost of thermal image recording, or without lowering a throughput of thermal image recording owing to a cleaning time.

A thermal recording colors a thermal recording material by using a thermal head where heating elements are arrayed in one direction in such a way that, in the state where the heating elements of the thermal head are pressed to the thermal recording material, the heating elements are driven according to an image to be recorded while the thermal head and the thermal recording material are relatively carried in a direction orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the heating elements. In this recording, at least in part of non image recording area in the thermal recording material, the heating elements are driven and controlled so that the temperature in the area becomes less than the melting temperature of a surface protective agent of the thermal recording material. The problem is solved thereby.