To assist separation of plates so as to ensure one sheet take-out operation.

A pair of pressing members A, B are provided to hold plates W stacked on a base 1, from both sides. A face, brought into contact with the end faces of the plates, of one pressing member is inclined by a specified angle, and the opposed other pressing member is brought into contact with the end faces of the plates in order from the uppermost plate W so as to press them obliquely downward from above. The plates W can therefore be placed in a state of being shifted little by little. In such a plate pressing method, the plates can be positively separated sheet by sheet and fed.