PURPOSE: To read a half tone in a document correctly by axially supporting one end of a document guide member to rotate freely, and providing a bent part close to a reading position of a reading means at the other end for controlling an interval between a reading position and the document guide member.

CONSTITUTION: A document guide member 12 is provided facint a reading surface 10a for guiding motion transferred by a transfer roller 9, and it is freely rotatable about a support point of a shaft 13. This guide 12 is a flexible body easily deflected by an extgernal force, and it has a bent part 12b where a forward end part in a document transfer direction (K) is folded The document guide member 12 also has a protrusion 12a to get in contact with the reading surface 10a, and this protrusion 12a acts for a spacer for deciding an interval between the reading surface 10a and the document guide member 12. Springs 14 are provided at both ends of a length (L) of the document guide member 12 to act for an energization means to apply a pressure to the guide member 12 to get the protrusion 12a of the document guide member 12 in contact with the reading surface 10a.