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Some of you may be thinking that the issue of the Chronicle you now hold in your hands is a little different from previous issues. If you are, you're right. After more than 11 years of being printed at the Austin American-Statesman (we began with our May 10, 1991, issue), we've switched printers. The Chronicle will now be printed in San Antonio, by the presses of the San Antonio Express-News. Involved in this switch has been the slight shrinking of the paper's size. Over the past few years, much of the alternative weekly press has switched sizes, and many more will soon. In my memory (which is never to be trusted anymore), this is the third time we've changed sizes. The good news is that print size won't shrink with this change; the bad news is it won't get any bigger.

We've had a great relationship with the Statesman, and part ways reluctantly. The staff there has been terrific to work with, as has the management. There are a number of reasons involved in this change, and it wasn't an easy decision to make. Many different Chronicle staffers contributed to the decision-making process, and though it was painful, the conclusion was unanimous. We expect you'll get comfortable with the new size almost immediately; it might take us a little longer.

This issue, our July 4 issue, is being printed Tuesday night and distributed Wednesday (so we've cut this production week by a day and added an enormous amount of work resizing the paper -- at some point this must have seemed like a good plan).

The staff has done an extraordinary job, not just in preparing for this change, but in their week-in and week-out effort. Still, they must be commended for their work during this change. Every department was taxed to the maximum of its abilities, and everyone responded admirably. The level of commitment of Chronicle staff to their jobs is reflected in the quality of the paper. It makes it a pleasure to work here. I hope (and believe) this translates to the reader, making it a pleasure to read.

The "Best of Austin" voting season is over, and we'll be spending the next few weeks tabulating votes and preparing our contributions. The issue will be coming out in late September. We thank all those who took the time to vote.

Most of us (staff and readers) are looking forward to a four-day vacation. This will provide a much-needed chance to take some deep breaths, think about what we do, and really relax. Halfway through, this has been a wild and a memorable year so far, and there is no reason to think anything but that the next six months will be even more intense. We're looking forward to taking that trip with you.