MONTREAL -- Transcontinental today began officially printing the San Francisco Chronicle daily paper at its brand new 338,000-square-foot plant in Fremont, California. The Monday, July 6 edition is the first to come off the presses at the plant.

"We are very pleased that production of the San Francisco Chronicle started on schedule," said Brian Reid, President of Transcontinental Printing. "The production model at our new plant is based on a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled people, in whom we have invested extensive training. The San Francisco Chronicle is expressing great trust in us by having us print its prestigious daily paper."

"The new plant in Fremont is one of the first printing plants to be designed and built to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards in the United States," said Ted Markle, Senior Vice President of the Transcontinental Printing Newspaper Group. "The new ultramodern presses provide excellent print quality and more flexibility for advertisers and the distribution of inserted material. With this investment we can offer publishers the best tools in the marketplace to help them maintain and strengthen their competitive position."

The plant in Fremont offers comprehensive printing and postpress services. As well as handling a range of related products, the plant will print 270,000 copies of the San Francisco Chronicle from Monday to Saturday and 360,000 on Sunday.