A transfer-printing ink contains a pigment and a fixing resin. The mass ratio of the pigment to the fixing resin is 1:1 to 1:5, and the ink has a viscosity of 3 mPas to 10 mPas at 23° C. The ink is ejected onto a transfer paper base by an ink-jet recording device when transfer paper is prepared. The ink is then transferred from the transfer paper to cloth as a result of the transfer paper, with the cloth laid over it, being heated.