The improved color image forming apparatus comprises a rotating member for rotationally scanning and transporting both an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer and a colorant sheet having a peelable, thin colorant film, a holder for holding at least the image-recieving material on the rotating member, a lamenator for pressing the colorant sheet so that it adheres to the image-receiving material, a recording device for applying thermal energy to the image-receiving material and the colorant sheet, and a peel/transfer mechanism by which the colorant sheet that has been imagewise supplied with thermal energy by the recording device is peeled for transfer to form a monochromatic image on the image-receiving material. This procedure of monochromatic image formation is repeated for three or four colors to produce a full color image. The apparatus is compact and yet is capable of forming high-quality image while assuring that the colorant sheet can be adhered to or peeled from the image-receiving material uniformly without causing failure in registration, particularly without causing unevenness during peeling.