PURPOSE: To provide a paper feeding device and paper feeding method in a collator capable of neatly arranging the top ends of sheets carried from a plurality of paper feeding devices regardless of the kind of sheets to be carried.

CONSTITUTION: A sheet 5 is loosened by a paper feed roller 1 and a loosening plate 2 and passed between the paper feed roller 1 and the loosening plate 2 one by one. Since the driving force of the roller 1 is transmitted through a pulley 10, a gear 15, a gear 16, and an electromagnetic clutch 12, the sheet carrying speed is relatively slow. When a paper detecting sensor 4 detects the top end of the sheet 5, the rotating force is not transmitted to horizontally carrying rollers 3a, 3b and the paper feed roller 1, so that the sheet 5 is stopped in a determined position 6. The carrying is then restarted at a determined timing to carry the sheet 5. In this case, since the driving force is transmitted to the horizontally carrying rollers 3a, 3b through the pulley 10 and an electromagnetic clutch 11, the sheet is carried at a relatively high speed.