What goes around, comes around.

From about 1982 to 1993, Lincoln County Publishing Company (LCPC) in Newcastle printed the Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper, along with The Lincoln County News. Since early 1994, the Times Record in Brunswick, and later its printing company, Alliance Press, has printed the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper.

Maine-OK Enterprises Inc. (publisher of Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper) is announcing this week, LCPC will once again print the newspapers, starting with this issue.

In 1993, the Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper were owned by publisher Marylouise Cowan. Cowan sold her interests in the King printing press at LCPC to publisher Samuel Roberts. To be able to print full-color, Cowan contracted to have our newspapers printed by the Times Record, using its new offset printing capabilities, beginning in January 1994.

“I was in my seventh year here at the Register when we switched printers, and we were all quite excited to see the first color photos appear in the Register since its inception in 1876,” said Editor Kevin Burnham. “We have had a good working relationship with Times Record and Alliance Press for the past 25-plus years.”

The return to having LCPC print the newspapers is a continuation of the longtime partnership with The Lincoln County News. For many years, the newspapers have worked together to share combined print advertising products. And now once again, we will be working with LCPC to print the newspapers.

Why the change? LCPC understands the challenges of printing a 33-inch broadsheet newspaper and can now handle our color requirements. The wider sheets require greater care as the paper runs through the press. Boothbay Register, Wiscasset Newspaper and The Lincoln County News are the last 33-inch broadsheet papers in the state. The large format has been disappearing as news publishers continue to look to reduce the costs of printing – most are printing 20 to 24-inch broadsheet or are using a “tab” format.

"The decision to make the change was not made lightly. We have had a long relationship with Alliance Press, but ultimately, we needed to make a switch back to our former printing partner who knows the needs of our product. We wish Alliance Press the best as they, along with all of us in the news industry, deal with the challenges facing print media," stated General Manager Kipp Wright.

“The Roberts family and the Tandy family have a long history of cooperation with and support for each other's businesses. This cooperation has included combination advertising deals, through which customers of any of our newspapers may buy advertising in all three at a special rate. We also worked to purchase a newspaper press together in the '80s and printed all three newspapers on this press until 1994,” said LCPC Associate Publisher John Roberts.

“As the numbers of family-owned, independent newspapers dwindle, our cooperation becomes all the more important. We understand each other's needs and share the same mission to serve the community. Lincoln County Publishing Co. and the Roberts family are proud to once again print the Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper,” said Roberts.