Patent ID: 6837490

Claim:
A paper feeding apparatus for transporting an uppermost sheet and then a next sheet of printing paper placed on a paper tray to a printing machine, comprising: a first support member for supporting a partial area of a lower surface of the printing paper placed on the paper tray; second support members for supporting areas of the lower surface of the printing paper placed on the paper tray other than the area supported by said first support member; and a moving mechanism for vertically moving said second support members relative to said first support member, and further comprising: a sucker for transporting the printing paper by picking up an upper surface thereof, said second support members supporting the lower surface at least at corners of the printing paper picked up by said sucker; and a counter for counting the number of sheets of the printing paper for which a printing operation is completed, said moving mechanism vertically moving said second support members based on a signal from said counter.