Argentinian daily La Nueva may be following a growing trend as the country's first to abandon seven-day print editions in favour of digital publishing.

After announcing the move on June 23, it switched to Saturday/Sunday/Monday print publication this month in what international designer Mario Garcia - who completed a project at the Bahia Blanca publisher in 2013 - describes as "a historic moment".

Staff were told that while the exercise strengthened the digital product, Tuesday-Friday print circulation had not improved.

Associate publisher of the 118-year old newspaper founded by his greatgrandfather, Alejandro Massot told Garcia the decision was "the reality of the times we live in the publishing industry":

"This newspaper is our life, our family, and every step we take takes into account the essence of that," he said.

Garcia says that, while print edition readership declined, "the needle points up and up for its digital readers". Since 2014, digital readership has increased to ten million pages viewed per month. According to Abel Escudero, digital editor, the La Nueva digital audience grew by 25 per cent in the past two years. These numbers are likely to continue climbing, according to the management .

Editor and publisher Vicente Massot says the three print editions - "when readers seem to need the printed newspaper the most" - will be beefed up with more in depth reading, analysis, entertainment for the entire family, the Nueva magazine and "all the sports that readers are used to".

Mario Garcia recalls an address to the paper's newsroom three years before, when he foretold of the day when the daily newspaper would not appear in print: "I said at the time: 'For some newspapers this may come in two months and for others in two years, and I have no idea when it will happen to La Nueva, but you must rest assured that it will happen'."