PAPER FEEDER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeder capable of ensuring separation of sheets with a separating mechanism by holding sheets near its rear edge, located lower than a sheet at the highest position, to prevent the feeding of the sheets excluding the sheet at the highest position. SOLUTION: A paper feeder includes a tray 2A on which a plurality of sheets P are placed, a feeding roller 3A for feeding the sheets P and a separator 4A for separating one by one the sheets at the highest position during feeding. As a subsidiary separator 10 for proper separation, a sheet thrusting roller 11 is installed to contact a plane of a sheet P near its rear edge, placed at a feeding stand by position on the tray 2A. The outer periphery of the sheet thrusting roller 11 is provided with the friction coefficient to the sheets P being set greater than the friction coefficient of mutual sheets P so that the sheet P at the next highest position can be thrust near it rear edge by the outer periphery during feeding.