PURPOSE: To reuse a residual color when it is more than the consumption and reduce cost by detecting the remaining quantity of a color used most when a single print is finished during the printing of plural sheets of the same image.

CONSTITUTION: In a transfer-type thermal color printer which uses a set of ink films consisting of sequentially applied color inks Y, M, C, a means to detect a residual color ink used most among ink film colors used when plural sheets of the same image are printed after printing a single sheet, a means to compare whether or not the remaining quantity of a color is more than the consumption and a means to reuses such a residual ink film color when the remaining quantity is more than the consumption.