PURPOSE: To prevent variation in the thickness of an ink film and to obtain a recorder capable of supplying a uniform pictorial record of good quality by a method wherein residual ink is removed from the surface of a base film using a particular cleaning means against the residual ink.

CONSTITUTION: A cleaning roll 10 with a coarse surface coated with heat-sensitive ink 5 is provided so that the surface has greater adhesive force working on residual ink 5b than what exists between a base film 6 and the residual ink 5b. The roll 10 and the residual ink 5b are heated by a heater 7 and whereby the residual ink 5b attaching to the surface of the base film 6 rolled by the roll 10 is removed by a blade 11 and returned to an ink tank 13 for reutilization.