An image recording system includes two image recording apparatuses each capable of recording images independently. A color image recording apparatus is disposed with a bypass transporting path apparatus. A transporting path connecting apparatus is disposed between the front of a monochrome image recording apparatus and the back of the color image recording apparatus. A final processing apparatus that is common to the color and monochrome image recording apparatuses is disposed in the front of the color image recording apparatus. This system includes a process switching portion that switches an image recording process executed by one image recording apparatus to a substitute image recording process of the other image recording apparatus and a switching determining portion that determines whether the switching is executed by the process switching portion, depending on whether a predetermined condition is satisfied.