The Democrat and Chronicle printing plant at Canal Ponds Business Park in Greece is going to be shuttered in April, costing 108 employees their jobs and shifting publication of the D&C and other newspapers out of state.

Some 57 full-time workers and 51 part-time employees began being notified of the pending cessation of operations this morning. Parent company Gannett has made a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification to the state Department of Labor.

"As our business becomes increasingly digital and subscription-focused, newspaper printing partnerships have become standard,” said a Gannett spokesperson. “We are making strategic decisions to ensure the future of local journalism and continue our outstanding service to the community."

The D&C began printing at Canal Ponds in 1997 after decades of the presses rolling at its and Gannett’s longtime downtown headquarters at 55 Exchange Blvd.

At that time, the afternoon Times-Union newspaper was folding, leaving the morning Democrat and Chronicle as a dominant and robust printed newspaper. Sections were thick with retail and classified advertisements.

The rise of digital delivery of news, information and advertising, then in its infancy, has since changed the local news business dramatically. Most consumers receive news through their digital devices, particularly smartphones, leading Gannett and other publishers to prioritize online delivery of news such as the collapse of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin on Monday night.

Indeed, the D&C is within striking distance of having more digital-only subscribers than print subscribers in coming years. Digital subscriptions now exceed 25,000.

These changing audience habits and the migration of advertising online have shrunk printed newspaper circulation and left printing presses with significant excess capacity. In recent years, the D&C’s printing and packaging facility has been printing a host of out-of-town newspapers published by Gannett and others. Soon, those newspapers will be published elsewhere.

For the D&C and other Gannett-owned newspapers in New York state including Canandaigua, Utica, Binghamton, Ithaca, Corning, Hornell and Elmira, this means the newspapers will roll off presses in Rockaway, New Jersey, located in the northern portion of that state. For others, including Gannett’s Erie, Pennsylvania, newspaper, it means production will occur in Canton, Ohio.

The changeover is set to begin with the D&C published on Tuesday, April 11. Home delivery times for the D&C will not be affected, but the greater distance required to deliver the newspapers will lead to earlier creation of newspaper pages each day.

“This reflects the reality that print is no longer a deadline medium,” D&C Executive Editor Michael Kilian said. “Whether it’s a snowstorm or a football score, most of us learn the basic details first online or on television. We remain committed to serving our loyal print readers through publication of relevant, insightful and compelling stories and photos.”

There should be little effect on advertisers, Gannett officials said.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Democrat and Chronicle closing printing facility at Canal Ponds