An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of sheet feed trays, a tray information management unit, a sheet feed control unit, and an image forming unit. The sheet feed trays contain recording sheets. The tray information management unit manages tray information in which tray identification information on the sheet feed trays is associated with sheet type information on sheet types of recording sheets contained in the sheet feed trays. The sheet feed control unit selects, from among the sheet feed trays, one sheet feed tray containing a recording sheet of one sheet type designated in an image forming request by referring to the tray information, and controls a sheet feeding operation for feeding the recording sheet from the selected tray. The image forming unit forms an image on the recording sheet fed from the selected tray according to image forming data input with the image forming request.