Abstract: An apparatus for an envelope processing machine in which opened envelopes are serially presented by the machine to a work station in the machine for manual removal of the contents of each serially presented envelope. The apparatus comprises means operating responsive to the hand of a person being moved into and out of a contents removal attitude to a presented envelope to control the serial presentation of envelopes. In a preferred embodiment the apparatus comprises a light source and a photoelectric cell mounted in a spaced apart relationship to each other and to a presented envelope in the machine.