A roll-to-roll printing apparatus which includes an unwinding unit configured to unwind a base material, a printing unit configured to perform printing on the base material unwound from the unwinding unit, and a winding unit configured to wind up the base material subjected to the printing by the printing unit, the roll-to-roll printing apparatus seamlessly performing printing on the base material using a roll-to-roll method, the roll-to-roll printing apparatus comprising: a drive roll disposed upstream of a printing portion, wherein the drive roll is configured to supply the base material to the printing portion; a drive roll actuator configured to rotate the drive roll; a plate cylinder and an impression cylinder disposed in the printing portion, wherein the printing portion is configured to print on the base material using said plate cylinder and impression cylinder, and wherein the impression cylinder is driven by an impression cylinder actuator; a dancer configured to allow a predetermined load in accordance with a suspended weight to be applied to the base material via the rolls; a dancer actuator disposed between the drive roll and the plate cylinder, wherein the dancer actuator is configured to vary the tension of the base material by changing a path line length of the base material, wherein said dancer actuator has a significantly small mass and significantly small inertia compared to those of the dancer; a tension detection device disposed in the final stage of the unwinding unit 2 and a tension detection device disposed in the stage previous to the printing portion of the printing unit, wherein the tension detection devices are configured to detect the tension of the base material and transmit detection data to a tension control device; and a tension control device configured to control the drive roll actuator and the dancer actuator in accordance with a result of the detection by the tension detection device to compensate for a variation in the tension of the base material upstream of the printing portion, wherein, when compensating for the variation in the tension of the base material, the tension control device is configured to use the drive roll actuator to perform relatively rough control for suppressing the tension variation in a predetermined low frequency band while using the dancer actuator to perform relatively fine control for suppressing the tension variation in a predetermined high frequency band. a drive roll disposed upstream of a printing portion, wherein the drive roll is configured to supply the base material to the printing portion; a drive roll actuator configured to rotate the drive roll; a plate cylinder and an impression cylinder disposed in the printing portion, wherein the printing portion is configured to print on the base material using said plate cylinder and impression cylinder, and wherein the impression cylinder is driven by an impression cylinder actuator; a dancer configured to allow a predetermined load in accordance with a suspended weight to be applied to the base material via the rolls; a dancer actuator disposed between the drive roll and the plate cylinder, wherein the dancer actuator is configured to vary the tension of the base material by changing a path line length of the base material, wherein said dancer actuator has a significantly small mass and significantly small inertia compared to those of the dancer; a tension detection device disposed in the final stage of the unwinding unit 2 and a tension detection device disposed in the stage previous to the printing portion of the printing unit, wherein the tension detection devices are configured to detect the tension of the base material and transmit detection data to a tension control device; and a tension control device configured to control the drive roll actuator and the dancer actuator in accordance with a result of the detection by the tension detection device to compensate for a variation in the tension of the base material upstream of the printing portion, wherein, when compensating for the variation in the tension of the base material, the tension control device is configured to use the drive roll actuator to perform relatively rough control for suppressing the tension variation in a predetermined low frequency band while using the dancer actuator to perform relatively fine control for suppressing the tension variation in a predetermined high frequency band.