A device and method that determine conditions under which a break in a web of a printing system is more likely to occur store data pertaining to one or more attributes associated with the manufacture of each web used in a plurality of printing runs. The device and method then implement a correlation analysis, such as a decision-tree induction analysis, using the stored data to determine if there is a correlation between the one or more web manufacturing attributes and the occurrence of a web break. The device and method may store web manufacturing data indicating one or more of a mill site, a web manufacturing machine, a date, a reel number, a reel set, a log position, any auxiliary web manufacturing equipment, a web tensile strength, a web moisture content and/or a coefficient of friction associated with the manufacture of the webs used in the plurality of printing runs.