An image forming apparatus includes a dual purpose tray that accommodates a document and a transfer sheet, a document transport mechanism to transport the document from the dual purpose tray to an image reading position, an image reading mechanism disposed beneath the document transport mechanism, an image forming mechanism disposed beneath the image reading mechanism, a transfer sheet transport mechanism to transport the transfer sheet from a bifurcation point through the image reading mechanism, a sheet feeding path that bifurcates into a first transport path through which the document is transported to the image reading position and a second transport path through which the transfer sheet is transported through the image reading mechanism to an image forming position by switching a switching member in accordance with one of a type of a recording medium set on the dual purpose tray and an operation mode of the image forming apparatus.