An image recording apparatus improves the operating efficiency while preventing trouble due to the contact of a recording medium with a discharging surface of a recording head. A distance sensor for detecting the distance of the leading edge of a sheet from a conveying surface is provided upstream from the inkjet head in the conveying direction of the sheet. A gap control unit controls a frame moving mechanism to move the inkjet head up so that a gap between the discharging surface and the conveying surface increases when the distance detected by the distance sensor is above a first distance, and the gap distance may be increased by different amounts depending on the distance detected by the distance sensor. A discharging control unit controls the inkjet head to discharge ink droplets after the gap is increased.