The 'Trimmed to Perfection' initiative was launched by parent Bennett, Coleman & Company - India's largest media house. The move also included the group's other major papers, including The Economic Times, Navbharat Times and Maharashtra Times.
TOI is the flagship title, which is published from 10 cities across the nation and which has a circulation of more than 1.6 million copies and a readership of some 4.42 million per day.
Bennett, Coleman said the initiative involved a major investment in time, money and other resources.
A statement said: "Here, at the Times Group, we have debated for quite a while the pros and cons of going slim. It's not been easy for us, given the number of editions, publishing centres and printing presses we have around the country. New presses had to be bought, the old ones had to be reconfigured. It's been a huge exercise involving thousands and thousands of manhours."
The change was accompanied by full-page ads, created and developed by Enterprise Nexus. In one execution, wood trimmings were pictured, while in another the shorn locks of an old man were highlighted.
