Watching a printing press in action is a sight and sound to behold. It’s dirty, fast and dangerous, and for what’s largely considered ancient technology, it’s complicated and a bit magical.

Last week the Visalia Times-Delta ran an online photo essay of the last local print run of the paper on Saturday, March 9. The Visalia Times-Delta will now be printed in Fremont.

It’s a trend other local papers have followed, including The Fresno Bee (Sacramento) and Hanford Sentinel (Santa Maria). When it comes to the bottom line, there’s not much allowance for nostalgia.

But it’s hard not to be romantic about the press. The photos by Ron Holman really capture a moment. The paper zips up and down on rollers, flipping, folding and sopping up ink from the plates. The first copies must be fine-tuned. Pressmen fuss over adjustments to the final run. You can almost feel the cold of the open loading dock doors as papers leave for the last time.

Mineral King Publishing, the Exeter-based parent company of The Sun-Gazette newspaper, continues to print a local newspaper. It’s even grown, adding Reedley-based Mid Valley Publishing to the fold by acquisition in May 2023.

The presses continue to whir for a Central Valley audience that likes or even prefers newspapers. How long is anyone’s guess. My guess is a while yet.