PURPOSE: To provide a short dryer section for a paper machine.

CONSTITUTION: This dryer section for a paper machine includes dryer groups R with a single-wire draw 15 and each of which includes a number of drying cylinders 10, a number of reversing cylinders or rolls 11 in gaps between the drying cylinders 10. In each of the dryer groups R, a web W is always brought into contact with a wire 15, is traveled to the drying cylinders 10 and the reversing cylinders or the rolls 11. The web W is directly brought into contact with the drying cylinders 10 and the wire 15 is directly brought into contact with the reversing cylinders or the rolls 11. In at least one of the groups R having the single wire draw in the dryer section, at least the four drying cylinders 10 are placed in pairs side by side and one above the other so that the upper pair of cylinders is placed at a lower level than the other cylinders in the group.