Seventy full-time employees will lose their jobs next year when the Edmonton Journal closes its printing plant and outsources the work to the company that publishes the St. Albert Gazette.

Journal editor-in-chief Lucinda Chodan says the move was not done solely to save costs, but to also take advantage of modern technology at the brand-new plant.

"I guess if you're not employing 70 people, it is a cost saving," she said. "I think the main point, though, is that it's really a decision that's being made because of the possibilities.

"Right now we have presses that can only print colour in possibly maybe a fifth of the pages. When we move to the St. Albert Gazette facility, we'll be able to print colour on every page."

Ray Wade, the president of Local 255G of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, said part-time employees also work at the plant, meaning about 100 people will be affected by the closure.

"Devastating news, comes as a shock to us. Some of the members that we have have been with the Edmonton Journal since they were 12-year-old paper boys," he said.

"They've given their whole lives to the company. They're 55 years old and they're going to be out of work."

The announcement follows the Journal's recent decision to discontinue its Sunday edition. The newspaper lost about 20 positions in its most recent round of layoffs.