STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., Oct. 12 -- After two years of construction, testing and installation, the Detroit Free Press on Monday begins printing all of its weekday editions on new, state-of-the-art presses. The $177 million project will revolutionize the way in which the Detroit Free Press is produced, giving readers the highest quality reproduction available in the nation. In all, six new presses have been installed. They have the ability to print at twice the speed of the presses they replaced and will accommodate significantly more color photos and advertisements. "The work of 300-plus journalists in the Free Press newsroom will be showcased as never before," said Paul Anger, vice president/news and editor of the Free Press. "That underscores a big responsibility. It's not lost on us that those world-class presses must print a newspaper with world-class content. That's what you'd expect from the Free Press. We have a commitment to watchdog journalism, the kind that makes readers know the Free Press will stand up for them. We intend to enhance that while making stronger connections to readers' lives. That's not an empty promise." The new technology will provide the Free Press the opportunity to make numerous content improvements: * More color pages, with photos that are crisper and more true to life * More consistent placement of daily sections and features * Less ink on readers' fingers The newspaper also will be printed in a more convenient format, a slightly more compact size that is easier to hold and use, and that is rapidly becoming the standard for newspapers across the nation. The new presses are part of a massive expansion of the Detroit Newspaper Partnership, LP printing facility in Sterling Heights, Mich.