How is a newspaper printed and distributed?
Through an industrial process running to an unforgiving overnight timetable, in which every minute of editorial delay costs distribution reach — which is why deadlines are treated as absolute in a way that puzzles outsiders.
The production sequence:
Pages are designed and filled through the afternoon and evening, with the front page frequently last.
Subbing and legal checks, including a lawyer reading anything contentious.
Pages are sent to the printer as digital files, typically transmitted to several print sites simultaneously.
Plate-making. Each page is imaged onto an aluminium printing plate, one per colour, directly from the digital file.
Printing, usually by web offset lithography: a continuous roll of paper runs through the press at high speed, taking ink from the plates via rubber blankets. Colour is built from four inks, which is why newspaper photographs have a characteristic look.
Folding, cutting and collating in-line, with supplements inserted.
Bundling and loading onto lorries, wholesalers, then retailers and delivery rounds.
Why editions exist. A paper prints several versions through the night — earlier ones for distant regions that need longer to reach, later ones for the cities. Late news, sports results and dramatic developments appear only in later editions, which is why two copies of the same day's paper can differ, and why collectors care which edition they hold.
Why the deadline is immovable. Missing a press slot means missing lorries, which means missing wholesalers, which means missing the shop shelf and the delivery round entirely. There is no catching up later in the chain.
What has changed. Most publishers no longer own their presses, sharing contract print sites with competitors. Print runs have fallen enormously, distribution costs per copy have risen, and several titles have cut print days or moved online entirely. Rising newsprint and energy costs have accelerated it.
Returns — unsold copies — are a significant cost, which is why print runs are forecast carefully and why circulation figures distinguish copies printed from copies sold.