The Islands’ Sounder will be converting to a new, smaller-sized format beginning with the January 7, 2009 edition. The size will be identical to that of the Sounder’s award-winning sister paper, The Journal of the San Juan Islands.

Research has shown that newspaper readers prefer the compact, easier-to-handle size of tabloids to the larger, broadsheet style. Many community newspapers are already utilizing a tabloid format, and those that aren’t seem to be moving in that direction.

“The decision to change to a smaller size was based on a number of factors, not the least of which is how well it has worked for the Journal,” said Sounder publisher Elyse Van den Bosch. “Using smaller paper means using less paper, which will help the Sounder offset rising paper costs and, importantly, be good for the environment.”