A two-stage sheet separating apparatus has a pair of corner separators and a top feed roller for initially separating a top sheet from a stack of sheets. A pair of retarding blades, one for each corner separator, are disposed downstream from the separators for finally separating the top sheet from any lower sheets which may have been carried along by inter-sheet frictional forces. The lower corners of the stack of sheets are supported by wedges in order to increase the beam strength of the sheets and thereby reduce the incidences where more than one sheet at a time is fed from the stack.

A thin sheet feeding apparatus has a bending mechanism to curve a pile of thin sheets bundled by a belt member and a mechanism to sequentially feed at least one thin sheet from the uppermost thin sheet from the curved concave pile of the thin sheet in the predetermined feeding direction.

A film feeder of a cassettes X-ray photographic apparatus comprises a plurality of suction cups capable of attracting unexposed film in a first and second magazines receiving unexposed film of different sizes, first guide path for guiding the cups between the first magazine and a feed mechanism which feeds unexposed film to a holder section, a second guide path for guiding the cups between the second magazine and feed mechanism, and a drive control mechanism for moving the cups attracting unexposed film from the first and second magazine to the holder along the first and second guide path selected optionally. The cups are moved in a vertical, slant and horizontal direction by the drive control mechanism.

A sheet pickup assembly has hold-down fingers associated therewith which remain in a stationary condition to press lightly against a stack of sheet stock directly behind the vacuum suckers of the assembly during attachment of the suckers to the top sheet in the stack and retraction of the suckers away from the stack. The simultaneous upward sucker retraction and stationary finger pressure forces the top sheet to flex, such that the next sheet therebelow is prevented from adhering to the top sheet for pickup therewith.

Film handling apparatus preferably for handling microfiche film in which a holder or cassette is provided and is locatable at a film pick-up station; the holder or cassette has engaging means preferably provided as a lip to engage at least one marginal portion of the top microfiche lamina of a stack of laminae held within the holder or cassette; a suction means being provided in the apparatus which by means of preferably two or more suction areas is enabled to progressively suck the top lamina from the holder or cassette; in one embodiment two similar suction means are provided as suction platens which move in close relationship on guides within the apparatus to position the lamina at a filming and titling station.