To prevent an unevenness from being generated in a coating film and to prevent dirt and a flaw from being generated in the rear of a substrate by changing over a plurality of conveyance rolls which are sequentially formed at least on this side in the conveyance direction of the substrate to an idling free roll according to movement of the substrate when external force is exerted through the substrate.

In the roll coater, resist liquid transferred on an offset roll 14 is retransferred on an applicator roll 12 and thereafter resist liquid is transferred on the surface of a substrate W. In this case, conveyance rolls 22 for feeding the substrate are constituted as a free roll 30. When a rotary shaft 40 is rotated, the free roll 30 is turned together by frictional force for bearings 36 to convey the substrate W. On the side, when an external force larger than the frictional force for the bearings 36 is exerted to the free roll 30, it is idled by frictional force of both the rear of the substrate W and the surface layer member 34 according to movement of the substrate W. Thereby, a force exerted by the conveyance rolls 22 is inhibited from acting on the peripheral face of the applicator roll 12 through the substrate W.