Independent goes full colour next week

by John Reynolds, Media Week 15-Sep-08, 14:55

LONDON - The Independent, which this week upped its cover price from 80p to £1, will follow its rivals and move to full colour next week, with a host of new features as it looks to arrest its declining circulation.

The move follows similar full-colour relaunches by rivals The Times and The Telegraph. The new-look paper will be unveiled next Tuesday (23 September).

Last July, Trinity Mirror unveiled plans to invest £23m in new colour printing equipment following an agreement with Independent News and Media to print and distribute The Independent over 12 years.

Bolstered by full-colour capacity, new features to be unveiled in The Independent include an overhaul of the paper's features section, an extended arts and books supplement, plus a bigger sports section on Monday.

Editor Roger Alton, addressing readers in The Independent this week, said the move will help the paper "strengthen our bold and graphic approach to design" and that The Independent will be more visually appealing and easier to navigate following the changes.

In August, The Independent's circulation fell by 2.2% from the previous month.