PURPOSE: To obtain very thin heat meltable ink layers by a method in which the fine powder of a heat meltable ink is adhered to the surface of a base film and melted by heating to fix it to the surface.

CONSTITUTION: A finely powdered ink, consisting of a heat meltable ink composed of a colorant and a vehicle (e.g., an easily heat meltable substance such as waxes or resins of low molecular weights) and having a grain size of 0.1W100μm, is mixed with an iron powder to form a mixed power 10. When the tip of a magnetic brush 9 is turned in the mixed powder 10 in such a way that it does not contact with the surface of a base film 4, a voltage to be applied between a magnetic brush 9 and a corotron 8 is applied to the direction of attracting toward the corotron 8 and the powdered ink is adhered to the surface of the base film 4. The ink is melted by heating by means of a heater 12, smoothened by a wire bar 13, and hardened and fixed to the film 4 by a cooling roller to obtain a thermal transfer ink sheet.