An image transfer apparatus that records an image through selective heat and pressure application has an ink ribbon and a film disposed between a driving head and a flat platen. Color dyes of the ink ribbon are transferred to the film as the image. The image on the film is thus conveyed to a position for transferring the image to a recording sheet. The film and the recording sheet are pressed between a transfer roller and a conveyer roller with a pressure that sufficiently smoothes unevenness in the surface of the recording sheet. A high quality image is thus recorded on the recording sheet regardless of the surface condition of the recording sheet.