Free daily The Washington Examiner will close its printing plant, outsourcing that work to two independent plants by the end of January, the Baltimore Business Journal reported Tuesday. The move also means 101 people will lose their jobs.

Examiner Publisher Michael Phelps said the outsourcing is being done to reduce costs and increase the number of full-colour pages being printed.

The Washington, D.C., newspaper is owned by Philip Anschutz's Clarity Media.

Phelps said in a statement on the newspaper's Web site that it is not possible financially to upgrade the current printing plant, the Business Journal reported. Printing will be outsourced into two printing plants, one in Frederick and the other in Harford County.