PURPOSE: To improve the storage stability of a printed image and to efficiently perform printing by laminating an image forming layer and a colorant-containing layer forming an image to the image forming layer.

CONSTITUTION: In such a case that the thermal moving speed of the colorant in a colorant-containing layer is high, when heat applied to the colorant- containing layer imagewise, the colorant of the colorant-containing layer is thermally moved to a thermal image forming layer 1 partially along with a binder. As a result, the image forming layer 1 wherein the colorant-containing layer 2 reduced in the content of the colorant or containing no colorant at all is left in the surface part 4 of the colorant-containing layer part 3 remaining on the image forming layer 1 after the colorant-containing layer 2 is released is obtained. Since the image thus formed on the image forming layer contains no colorant in the surface part thereof, even when the image surface part is slightly omitted by external force, the image itself receives no damage and, since the colorant and the binder penetrate in the image forming layer 1, the colorant-containing layer 2 is not released from the image forming layer 1. That is, the image forming layer 1 is used as an image recording body as it is.