The Eugene Register-Guard has announced it will modify its printing press in order to produce a smaller paper, The Associated Press reported Monday. The approximate cost of the modifications is said to be US$1.2 million.

The Oregon paper's production director, Janet Owen, said the investment reflects the paper's intention to "be around for the long haul." Altogether, the paper will lose 1 1/2 inches and some columns in the sports and classifieds sections. The changes in format will also be accompanied by an intensified attention to local news and reporting.

The Register-Guard is not the first newspaper to experiment with smaller editions, the AP reported in an article posted by Forbes. In August 2007, Gannett's Visalia Times-Delta was the first of the company's titles to switch to the 11-inch wide format.

It will take a projected three years before the paper will save enough money to cover the costs of the project, but for many papers the investment seems worth it, as newsprint is one of a newspaper's highest costs.