providing at least first and second printing groups arranged one behind the other in a printing press in a direction of production of a material to be printed;

providing at least a first forme cylinder and at least a first transfer cylinder in said first printing group;

providing at least a second forme cylinder and at least a second transfer cylinder in said second printing group;

providing at least a first printing forme for mounting on said first forme cylinder;

providing at least a second printing forme for mounting on said second forme cylinder;

estimating an amount of at least one of an anticipated transverse elongation and of an anticipated longitudinal elongation which is expected to occur in the material to be printed, during printing of the material by said at least first and second printing groups, and prior to the actual printing of the material by said first and second printing groups;

applying at least one first print image at a selected first print image location on said first printing forme prior to said mounting of said first printing forme on said first forme cylinder;

applying at least one second print image at a selected second print image location on said second printing forme prior to said mounting of said second printing forme on said second forme cylinder;

compensating for said anticipated estimated transverse elongation of the web of material by said applying of said at least one first print image at said first selected print image location on said first printing forme and prior to said mounting of said first printing forme on said first forme cylinder and by said applying of said at least second print image at said second selected print image location on said second printing forme and prior to said mounting of said second printing forme on said second forme cylinder and prior to printing of the web of material;

providing an image regulator in said printing press;

locating said image regulator between, in said direction of production of the web of material, said first and second printing groups;

operating said at least first and second printing groups and printing said at least first and second print images successively on the web of material;

determining an amount of an actual transverse elongation in the web of material occurring as a result of the printing of the web of material in said first printing group;

using said image regulator and deforming said web of material for compensating for said determined actual amount of said transverse elongation occurring in the web of material printed by said first printing group when said actual transverse elongation is greater than said estimated transverse elongation; and

providing a controllable printing forme shifting assembly in each of said at lest first and second forme cylinders; and

displacing at least one of said at least first printing forme on said first forme cylinder and said at least second printing forme on said second forme cylinder of said second, subsequent printing group using said controllable printing forme shifting assembly and changing said print image location on said at least one of said first and second forme cylinder in response to an additional actual transverse elongation of the material to be printed when said actual transverse elongation is greater than an amount which can be compensated for by using said image regulator, said displacing of said printing forme using said controllable printing forme shifting assembly being accomplished transversely to said direction of production.