MINNEAPOLIS — The Star Tribune will begin printing its cross-town rival, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, beginning in early 2014.

The companies announced the consolidation Wednesday.

Star Tribune CEO Mike Klingensmith said the agreement with Digital First Media, parent company of the Pioneer Press, is a significant expansion of the Star Tribune’s commercial business and an important new revenue source.

The Pioneer Press, meanwhile, will close its St. Paul printing facility and lay off the plant’s nearly 170 full- and part-time employees.

Pioneer Press publisher Guy Gilmore says the changes will not affect the content or delivery of the newspaper, but will improve its color quality and capacity.

Terms of the five-year contract were not disclosed. But Gilmore says it includes a three-year extension option.

The transition will start in mid-January.