8. The New York Times printing plant is located in College Point
The New York Times prints thousands upon thousands of copies of its newspapers every day at its printing plant in College Point along the Whitestone Expressway, just a short drive from the former Flushing Airport. The paper’s original facility was located in Brooklyn, which was where the public could get a glimpse of everything from the actual printing to the collating and folding procedures. The facility opened in 1997 with six presses and plenty of storage space. Though, only about 41 percent of papers are produced in College Point; the rest are printed at 26 other locations across the country.
Photos inside the facility show rolls of newspaper print 10 miles long, enough for 30,000 newspapers. These rolls are transported throughout the facility and between the two floors using robotized vehicles. Combined, the press towers at the facility print over 200,000 papers a day. Metal pipes allow for the transport of ink from larger containers. There are also proofing tables with rulers to measure the correct lengths and widths of columns. One important room is the plates room, where the plates for the presses are custom-made; they are then stored on a nearby wall and sent to the presses shortly after. In addition to large packing rooms, the facility also holds a high-tech control room that manages all operations.