A method is disclosed for reducing feed rate variations when unwinding a web material to transport the web material away from the parent roll at a web takeoff point where the feed rate variations are induced by parent roll geometry variations. The method utilizes both calculated and measured data to make suitable adjustments in the driving speed for an out-of-round parent roll to maintain a relative constant feed rate. By dividing the parent roll into 1, 2, . . . n sectors, the data can be refined to a relatively high degree taking into account high speed data processing capabilities as well as operating system response times to make appropriate driving speed adjustments.