PURPOSE: To decrease power consumption and to prolong the life of a lamp by incorporating timer device at the control system of the lamp for reading a film, and putting on it only when a reading instruction comes during the putting-out.

CONSTITUTION: For example, when a controller 19 builds in the microprocessor and receives the reading instruction from a control panel or a host computer 18, the controller functions to a sub-scanning control circuit 22, drives the sub- scanning motor (not shown in the figure), and on the other hand, drives a picture reading circuit 20 and outputs the picture signal to the memory. In the controller 19, the timer device to control a lamp control circuit 23 is built. When the film reading instruction is not issued, after the constant time (when a constant T exceeds the counting value), the lamp for reading the film automatically puts out, and only when the film reading instruction is issued, the lamp for reading the film puts on.