In a process of peeling off a transfer layer of an intermediate transfer
film, an amount of energy, which is supplied to a thermal head 3 so as to
heat the thermal head 3, is changed in accordance with a location of the
thermal head 3 in a peeling area 71P and its neighboring area. The amount
of energy is designated to be maximum energy E1 when the thermal head 3
is positioned in the neighborhood of a boundary area of the peeling area
71P while the thermal head 3 relatively moves from outside the peeling
area 71P, that is, a non-peeling area 71NP to inside the peeling area
71P. In a case that the thermal head 3 is positioned in the non-peeling
area 71NP or outside the peeling area 71P, a certain amount of energy is
supplied to the thermal head 3 so as to maintain a temperature T of the
thermal head 3 at a temperature of less than a predetermined temperature
PA while heating the thermal head 3.