An image reading apparatus includes a tray to place a document, a conveying mechanism for a document, a reader for a document image, a detector for detecting a sheet jam, an image processor and a controller. The image processor performs an image processing for removing document smear from an image read by the reader. The controller controls a document conveying operation by the conveying mechanism and a document reading operation by the reader. If a jammed document is removed and the document is placed again on the document tray after the detector detects a sheet jam, the controller performs a sheet jam recovery processing for causing the conveying mechanism to convey the document again and causing the reader to read the image of the document. The image processor performs the image processing on the image of the jammed document read by the reader during the sheet jam recovery processing.