A printing method for a thermal transfer receiving sheet in which an image is formed on an image transfer layer of the receiving sheet by superimposing the sheet onto a dye thermal transfer sheet and applying thereto heat from a thermal head of a thermal transfer printer; wherein, the thermal transfer printer has a thermal head and a platen roller in opposition thereto, and the following requirements (1) and (2) are satisfied simultaneously: (1) the ratio (L/R) of the length of the entire thermal transfer receiving sheet (L) to the radius (R) of the platen roller of the printer is 0.01 to 0.07; and, (2) after a thermal transfer image has been formed on the image receiving layer by the thermal head, the thermal transfer receiving sheet is transported by the back side thereof being wound onto the surface of the platen roller, and the winding angle is 2 to 25°.