NYT Shrinks Today (Less News is Fit to Print, apparently)

Lean Times | The New York Observer: "“Other than if you put a ruler on the paper and measure it, I’m kind of hoping it will not be that noticeable,” said Tom Bodkin, design director for The New York Times. On the morning of Monday, August 6, the Times was scheduled to crop an inch an a half from the newspaper's width. The new Times will now be 12 inches wide, which newspaper officials have said is the 'industry standard' for American broadsheets.

Cutting the 'trim size,' as the industry calls it, has been an increasingly frequent measure among broadsheets to reduce costs associated with printing, and sometimes, as with The Wall Street Journal earlier this year, is taken as an opportunity to roll out a redesign of the front page.

The Times does plan to redesign, but is introducing the trimmer silhouette first. Indeed, official Times responses have significantly downplayed the size change."