PURPOSE: To prevent repressing force from being applied to a transport means from the feeding means side by detecting the length of a sheet material at the time of feeding the first sheet material and again operating a feeding means according to the information on the detected sheet material length to auxiliary- feed a sheet material at the time of feeding the second and following sheet materials.

CONSTITUTION: Sheet materials 11 are separated one by one by a friction pad 3, the leading end of the sheet material is detected by a sensor 15, and when the trailing end thereof passes, a signal of the sensor 15 is turned off. According to the signal, the length of the sheet material 11 in the transport direction can be detected. For the second and following sheet materials, just after a regist clutch is turned on, a paper feed clutch is again turned on to start auxiliary paper feeding for the sheet material 11. Subsequently, after a designated time, the paper feed clutch is turned off and a frictional rotor 2 is again stopped. Offtiming may be taken before the trailing end of the sheet material 11 passes a contact part between the frictional rotor 2 and the friction pad 3 according to the length in the transport direction of the sheet material 11 obtained at the time of first feeding.