Motor control apparatus is described that is used in a printer that prints on a paper web (32) coming from a roll (13) of paper and has two-sided printing capability using two print mechanisms (14, 15). The motor control apparatus controls power to several DC motors that either move the paper web from a roll through the printer or provide back tension to the paper web (32). The control circuits sense paper travel speed and motor loading and thereby sense the effects on paper tension caused by others of the control circuits. The interaction of motor torques provided by the control circuits maintains constant tension on the paper web (32) throughout the printer and thereby assures that there is front to back printing registration on each two-sided printed sheet, and also assures that there is top to bottom centering registration of printing on each sheet of paper when the paper web is cut into individual sheets of paper.