A method for controlling a roll-fed printing apparatus for printing ripped images on at least one recording medium, the roll-fed printing apparatus comprising a print engine and a controller, the print engine comprising a print head and the controller comprising a roll managing system for managing the printing of the ripped images on the at least one recording medium, the method comprising the steps of: a) the controller receiving a plurality of ripped images (81, 82, 83) from a raster image processor into memory of the roll managing system irrespectively of the presence of the least one recording medium in the roll-fed printing apparatus, b) for each ripped image (81, 82, 83) the roll managing system establishing an arbitrary position (X, Y) in the plane of the at least one recording medium at which arbitrary position the ripped image (81, 82, 83) is intended to be printed; c) the controller creating subsequent image swathes for printing the ripped images (81, 82, 83) according to the established arbitrary positions of the ripped images (81, 82, 83); d) the print engine subsequently printing the created subsequent image swathes; e) while printing the created subsequent image swathes, the roll managing system monitoring a first actual status of printing of the created subsequent image swathes, a second actual status of a timing of the ripped images (81, 82, 83) to be printed and a third actual status of the at least one receiving medium; and f) the roll managing system displaying and keeping up-to-date a dynamic roll preview area representing the at least one recording medium (1, 332), planned ripped images (83-i) to be printed on the at least one recording medium, ripped images (82-i) currently being printed on the at least one recording medium, image items representing the monitored first, second and third actual statuses, and a current position (86, 350) of the print head corresponding to a location along the length of the at least one recording medium at which the print engine is arranged to currently mark the recording medium. a) the controller receiving a plurality of ripped images (81, 82, 83) from a raster image processor into memory of the roll managing system irrespectively of the presence of the least one recording medium in the roll-fed printing apparatus, b) for each ripped image (81, 82, 83) the roll managing system establishing an arbitrary position (X, Y) in the plane of the at least one recording medium at which arbitrary position the ripped image (81, 82, 83) is intended to be printed; c) the controller creating subsequent image swathes for printing the ripped images (81, 82, 83) according to the established arbitrary positions of the ripped images (81, 82, 83); d) the print engine subsequently printing the created subsequent image swathes; e) while printing the created subsequent image swathes, the roll managing system monitoring a first actual status of printing of the created subsequent image swathes, a second actual status of a timing of the ripped images (81, 82, 83) to be printed and a third actual status of the at least one receiving medium; and f) the roll managing system displaying and keeping up-to-date a dynamic roll preview area representing the at least one recording medium (1, 332), planned ripped images (83-i) to be printed on the at least one recording medium, ripped images (82-i) currently being printed on the at least one recording medium, image items representing the monitored first, second and third actual statuses, and a current position (86, 350) of the print head corresponding to a location along the length of the at least one recording medium at which the print engine is arranged to currently mark the recording medium.