After ten minutes, Danny Haynes had an inch-perfect right-wing cross which was headed by Alan Quinn and Preston goalkeeper Andy Lonergan made a great one-handed save to tip the ball around the post for a left-wing corner.
However, only seconds later, the resultant left-wing corner by Owen Garvan was cleared by Preston centre-back Youl Mawene to Tommy Miller, who was 25 yards out, but hit a right-foot shot into the bottom left.
It was his eighth goal against Preston in nine games and the 29-year-old also played seven games for the Lilywhites last season on loan from Sunderland.
Chris Sedgwick then found Richard Chaplow and he had a right-foot shot saved by Stephen Bywater.
Neil Mellor had a shot saved by the keeper and then Sedgwick had one deflected wide for a left-wing corner.
Preston equalised in the 34th minute when Calum Davidson passed to Chris Brown and he hit a 25-yard right-foot shot into the bottom right with the aid of a deflection off Ipswich captain Jason De Vos, which made the keeper go the wrong way.
Pablo Counago hit the inside of the left-hand post with a close-range shot after a Garvan pass and Pablo Counago again had a goal disallowed for offside.
Alan Lee replaced Haynes and in the 66th minute Mellor ran clear and had a shot saved by the keeper.
Shefki Kuqi then replaced Counago and Simon Whaley took over from Lewis Neal.
Preston made it 2-1 in the 79th minute when a cross from the left by substitute Whaley was turned in by Mellor at the near post for his tenth goal of the season.
Velice Sumulikoski replaced Quinn and then with three minutes to go Garvan played John Walters through and he hit a right-foot shot into the corner of the net to make it 2-2.