Patent ID: 8106932

Claim:
An image formation apparatus comprising: a transporting section configured to transport a thermal transfer sheet on which a color material layer and a protective layer are sequentially arranged in a transporting direction; a carrying section configured to carry a thermal transfer receiving sheet in which at least a color material receiving layer for receiving a color material is formed on a support; a thermal head configured to sequentially thermally transfer the color material layer and the protective layer of the thermal transfer sheet onto the thermal transfer receiving sheet by applying thermal energy to the color material layer and the protective layer of the thermal transfer sheet in a state that the color material layer and the protective layer are positioned to face the color material receiving layer of the thermal transfer receiving sheet; and a controlling section configured to control the thermal energy of the thermal head, wherein the controlling section is configured to print an image under printing conditions where variation ΔH represented by the following formula (1) in a thickness of the thermal transfer receiving sheet in an increase direction before and after the thermal transfer of the color material layer satisfies 0<ΔH, and variation ΔL represented by the following formula (2) in the thickness of the thermal transfer receiving sheet in the increase direction before and after the thermal transfer of the protective layer satisfies ΔL<0, Δ H =(thickness of thermal transfer receiving sheet after thermal transfer of color material layer)−(thickness of thermal transfer receiving sheet before thermal transfer of color material layer) (1), and Δ L =(thickness of thermal transfer receiving sheet after thermal transfer of protective layer)−(thickness of thermal transfer receiving sheet before thermal transfer of protective layer) (2).