Scotland's newest newspaper is to hit the streets next week, with the launch of the Scottish Standard.

The new paid-for weekly will be Flagship Media Group's first newspaper aimed at the general public, having previously focussed on trade magazines, and will cover the whole of Scotland.

Work behind the scenes, such as market research, has been going for more than a year, and an editorial team of 12 have been in place at the paper's Paisley office for a month, led by editor Alex MacLeod.

Alex, who worked at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail for 26 years, said he hoped the paper's pro-independence ethos would attract readers.

He said: "We think there is a gap in the market as no other paper does that."

Aimed at a mid-market audience, the first issue will be a 56-page full-colour compact, which Alex describes as "more Times compact than Daily Record or The Sun".

With an initial print run of 50,000, it will be available at all the usual outlets.