A heat-sensitive recording apparatus includes a two-stage buffer memory for storing input video signals corresponding to one line, and a counter which determines the proportion of "black" signals in one line as the signals are input thereto. Whether printing of the line is to be carried out in one or plural operations is determined by the determined proportion, and a signal indicative of the number of operations is outputted to a block driver prior to the time when the corresponding video signals are outputted by the second stage of the buffer memory to a shift register.