There is disclosed a color thermosensitive printer which has a
thermal head mounted on a
carriage to scan the
thermal head in opposite directions across a width of a color thermosensitive recording the recording paper. Yellow and
magenta fixing members have linear tube lamps that are disposed across the width of the recording paper along the scanning directions of the
thermal head. First and second
exposure openings are formed through the
carriage before and behind the thermal head with respect to a forward scanning direction. As the
carriage moves in the forward scanning direction, the thermal head records yellow pixels on a yellow thermosensitive color layer of the recording paper, and the yellow fixing rays are projected onto the recording paper through the second
exposure opening that follows behind the thermal head in the forward scanning direction. As the carriage moves in the reverse scanning direction, the thermal head records
magenta pixels on a
magenta thermosensitive color layer of the recording paper, and the magenta fixing rays are projected onto the recording paper through the first
exposure opening that follows behind the thermal head in the reverse scanning direction.