A both-side recording apparatus in which sheets having a first image recorded on a first side thereof are temporally contained in a relay tray and subsequently a second image is recorded on a second side of the sheets has a first side recording compensation mode in which if a deficiency occurs in the number of sheets during the sheet first side recording operation, recording is continuedly effect on sheets corresponding to the number of deficient sheets, a second side recording compensation mode in which if a deficiency occurs in the number of sheets during the sheet second side recording operation, the second image is continuedly recorded on the first side of sheets corresponding to the number of deficient sheets after the recording of the second image on the second side of the sheets from the relay tray has been terminated, whereafter the first image is recorded on the second side of said sheets, and a device for changing over a transportation path so that where the image recorded on the second side of the compensationally recorded sheets is the second image, the compensationally recorded sheets are reversed zero time or even times or odd times in accordance with whether the number of times of the reversing process of the sheets before compensationally recorded is zero or even or odd and that where the image recorded on the second side of the compensationally recorded sheets is the first image, the compensationally recorded sheets are reversed odd times or zero time or even times in accordance with whether the number of times of the reversing process of the sheets before compensationally recorded is zero or even or odd.