There are disclosed a printing method and apparatus which can prevent an overcoat layer formed on the surface of a printing medium for the purpose of protecting a printed image from being torn off or peeling from the printing medium so that an overcoat agent will not become a contaminant and stain a print in the printing apparatus, cause image print abnormality, or become fine or powder dust in the environment. This apparatus prints an image on a printing medium having perforations that allow easy cutoff of margin portions by applying ink to the printing medium across the perforations, and forms a protection layer on the printing medium on which the image has been formed by transferring a protection agent avoiding the perforation portions.