The aim of this study was to improve the PID control system of the printer based on the implementation of PID algorithm of the multi-loop circuit of the PLC industrial controller. A multi-loop control system for tension and velocity was introduced by PLC program based on the tension control system of gravure printing machine from Shaanxi Beiren Printing Co. Ltd., then the method of trial and error was adopted to adjust parameters of the PID controller in loops based on traditional PID and digital PID principles and the verification test of the algorithm was conducted on the gravure printer. The velocity loop test showed that the motor reached the set value in a rapid manner at 500 r/min and returned to stable status in about 6 s in external disturbance. The tension ring test showed that the set PID parameters can fulfill different task requirements of winding in 4 stages when the rolling diameter was 92~800 mm. The operation velocity was 100~200 m/min at normal conditions and the roller could be quickly adjusted to vertical position when external disturbance occurred. Multistage PID control and methods of parameter setting can satisfy requirements of domestic gravure machines. However, when the rolling diameter exceeds 800 mm or the linear velocity is greater than 200 m/min, PID controller would deteriorate the system performance, which fails to fulfill the production requirements of the high-efficient and high-speed gravure printer. Therefore, continuous improvement is needed for the tension control scheme.