A thermal recording method, using a thermal recording apparatus comprising an intermediate recording medium made of silicone rubber layer, of which surface thickness is 1 mm or less, surface roughness is 5 microns or less, contact angle cosine is 0.4 or less, density is 0.90 to 1.15, and rubber hardness is 20 to 50.sup.HS, a fixing roll, and a thermal recording head, and an ink sheet of which viscosity of colored material on the substrate at 100.degree. C. is 500 to 2,000,000 cps, for selectively heating the colored material on the ink sheet by the thermal recording head to transfer the colored material on the intermediate recording medium so as to record characters and images, and passing the image receiving medium such as recording paper between pressing parts of the intermediate recording medium and the fixing roll, and transferring or fixing the characters and images by the colored material transferred on the intermediate recording medium onto the recording paper so as to be recorded, and an ink sheet used therein.