Abstract: A banking machine having a single opening for both envelope and individual check or note deposit is disclosed. The entrance to the depository has a deposit item thickness sensor just inside of the deposit gate opening which can detect the difference between a thicker envelope deposit item and a thinner single sheet of paper. A computer is responsive to signals from the thickness sensor to control a deflector which permits envelopes to pass directly through to a sequential stacking deposit bin. Alternately, the thickness sensor causes the computer to control the deflector to divert a single sheet of paper into a read leg of the bifurcated transport. After entering the read path, document alignment rolls placed at a slight angle to the direction of document travel tend to move the document toward a registration edge before the document passes the read head.