PURPOSE: To provide a paper feed device which can feed a sheet by a feed pressure which is similar to that for a thin sheet, by enlarging the basis weight area where no overlap-feed and no feed occur in a corner pawl preventing system, and by correspondingly decreasing the degree of engagement of the pawl with respect to a thick sheet exceeding a specific value.

CONSTITUTION: In a paper feed device comprising a sheet tray, a side fence 4 for widthwise regulating sheets to be set on the sheet tray, a corner pawl 6 for peeling off the sheet one by one in cooperation with a sheet feed roller, the degree of engagement of the corner pawl 6 with respect to the leading end of a sheet in accordance with a sheet blocking force exerted to the corner pawl 6.