The News & Advance in Lynchburg, Va., in February went on-edition with its Koenig & Bauer AG Comet press, capping off a $26 million, two-year project.

The press, housed in a five-story addition to the newspaper’s existing building, replaced a 34-year-old Harris machine that The News & Advance said was the only one of its kind still in operation at a U.S. newspaper.

The 3-by-2 Comet is configured as five eight-couple towers with a future position for an additional tower. It has seven KBA reelstands, two 2:3:3 folders, a quarter-folder and an EAE four-console press control system.

The 3-by-2 design lets the paper print three broadsheet pages across one web, providing The News & Advance with a 50 percent boost in page capacity.

To accommodate the pressroom expansion, KBA engineered the press vertically, with reels under the machine. The vertical orientation was a first for KBA in the United States, according to The News & Advance.

In addition to the press, The News & Advance beefed up its postproduction, adding a 28:1 Titan G60 inserter from K&M Newspaper Services Inc. The machine is equipped with control software from Miracom Computer Corp. K&M also supplied a dual delivery conveyor, a waste handling system and other components. Quipp Systems Inc. supplied stackers and wrappers.

Dario Designs Inc. oversaw the building’s expansion.