A single vend newspaper vending machine includes a machine housing and a newspaper elevator system mounted in the machine housing, the newspaper elevator system including a slide track mounted in the machine housing. The newspaper elevator system further a fixed toothed rack, a movable toothed rack and a newspaper support trolley movably mounted on the slide track. First and second clutch-equipped gear wheels are included, the first clutch-equipped gear wheel operative to engage the fixed toothed rack and restrict downward movement of the trolley, the second clutch-equipped gear wheel operative to engage the vertically movable toothed rack. Upwards movement of the vertically movable toothed rack causes the newspaper support trolley to be moved upwardly therewith. A newspaper thickness sensing device is operative to determine the thickness of the topmost paper. A newspaper pusher device is operative to engage the topmost paper on the newspaper stack supported on the newspaper support trolley and slide the topmost newspaper off of the newspaper stack through an access opening. Finally, a newspaper pusher and movable toothed rack actuation system is operatively connected to the newspaper pusher device and the movable toothed rack such that engagement of the actuation system first actuates the newspaper pusher device to remove the topmost paper from the newspaper stack and secondly raises the movable toothed rack a distance determined by the thickness of the topmost paper, thereby raising the newspaper support trolley such that the penultimate newspaper is positioned where the vended topmost newspaper was previously.