SHEET FEEDING AND CUTTING DEVICE

An improved apparatus for processing web material is advantageously associated with a film magazine of a photocomposer and includes a guide assembly which prevents jamming of web material in the magazine. This guide assembly includes a guide element which is movable between an inactive position disposed to one side of a path of movement of a cutter edge in a shear assembly and an active position disposed in the path of movement of the cutter edge. The guide element is moved from the inactive position to the active position upon movement of the cutter edge through the path of movement of the sheet material. The web material is moved in a step-by-step manner past an exposure window by a pair of feed rollers to expose incremental portions of the web material to an original at the exposure window. To enable the extent of movement of the sheet material to be adjusted, at least one of the feed rollers is made of a resiliently yieldable elastomeric material so that the surface of the feed roller is deformable to greater and lesser extents. To facilitate loading of the web material in the magazine, a loading gate is movable from a closed position blocking access to the feed rollers to an open position.