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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe Washington Post will permanently close its 46-year-old printing plant in Springfield, Virginia, eliminating 118 jobs under a state WARN notice. The closure is scheduled to take effect December 31, 2026, while newspaper production moves to a smaller leased facility in Sterling near the Loudoun Gateway and Dulles area.
What is happening at the Springfield plant?
The Post’s printing facility at 7171 Wimsatt Road in Springfield is being shut down permanently. Virginia’s official WARN listing gives October 7, 2026, as the notice date and December 31, 2026, as the impact date. It identifies 118 employees affected by the closure.
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Wayne Connell, the newspaper’s chief human resources officer, said in the closure notice that “this facility closure will unfortunately result in the separation of various employees” and that “The Post expects this action to be permanent.”
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The Springfield site opened in 1980 and occupies more than 40 acres, including an approximately 500,000-square-foot printing building. The Post has also said it is considering selling the property, which was assessed at $38 million.
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Why is The Washington Post relocating printing?
The company has described the move as a cost-reduction and modernization project rather than an end to printed newspapers. It is installing a new press at the Sterling-area facility, with the stated goal of improving production efficiency and sustaining the print business from a smaller, newer operation.
The Post previously said the move from Springfield should be completed by January 2027. That timetable overlaps the WARN impact date, so the legal job-termination date and the final operational transition are closely linked but are not necessarily the same event.
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Which jobs are affected?
The 118 WARN-listed positions span the plant’s production, maintenance and distribution functions:
- Building engineers and maintenance workers
- Machinists and press operators
- Janitors
- Circulation drivers
- Occupational health nurses
Some affected employees are represented by unions. A WARN filing establishes the number of employees covered by the closure notice, but it does not by itself show how many will receive jobs at the replacement facility.
Will Springfield employees transfer to Sterling?
The final transfer count is not established. A source told TheWrap that roughly half of the Springfield plant’s overall workforce is relocating, but that estimate does not identify how many of the 118 WARN-listed employees will transfer.
That distinction matters because the WARN figure covers employees affected by the Springfield closure, not necessarily 118 people who will all leave the company. Some workers may be offered positions at Sterling, while others may separate from The Post. The company has not published a final employee-by-employee breakdown.
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Where will The Washington Post print its newspapers?
Printing is moving to a smaller leased facility in Sterling, in the Loudoun Gateway/Dulles area of Northern Virginia. The new site is being equipped with a new press. Public information describes the location and modernization plan, but does not state the replacement building’s square footage, staffing level or maximum production capacity.
How much has the Post’s print operation changed?
The Springfield plant was built when The Post’s Sunday print circulation was about 1.3 million copies. Current paid circulation is far lower: the Alliance for Audited Media reported approximately 97,000 daily paid print copies and 160,000 Sunday paid print copies in 2025.
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Those figures provide the central business context for consolidating production. A facility designed for the newspaper’s 1980-era volume is substantially larger than what current paid print circulation requires, even though circulation alone does not determine press scheduling, regional distribution or the number of editions produced.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the closure means for readers and the region
The relocation is intended to preserve printed editions while reducing the physical footprint needed to produce them. Readers should therefore expect the company’s print operation to continue from Sterling rather than disappear on December 31.
For Springfield, the closure ends decades of industrial activity at a major newspaper site and leaves the future of the 40-plus-acre property unresolved. For employees, the immediate issue is whether their positions end with the WARN impact date or continue through a transfer to the new plant. That outcome has not been disclosed.
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Key dates and confirmed facts
| Item | Confirmed detail |
|---|---|
| WARN notice date | October 7, 2026 |
| Scheduled impact date | December 31, 2026 |
| Employees listed in the closure notice | 118 |
| Current plant | 7171 Wimsatt Road, Springfield, Virginia |
| Replacement location | Smaller leased facility in Sterling near Loudoun Gateway/Dulles |
| Expected move completion previously stated by The Post | January 2027 |
| Transfer count from the 118 listed workers | Not established |
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