The paper has had a complete redesign, including a new specially created typeface called Guardian Egyptian, with its conversion to the European format measuring 470x315mm, midway between tabloid and broadsheet.
Carolyn McCall, chief executive of Guardian Newspapers, called it a historic moment making The Guardian the most modern, and only full-colour, newspaper in the country alongside the best online newspaper in the world.
The Guardian's editor Alan Rusbridger said the challenge had been to find a format for a new generation of readers.
"We believe we've found it with the Berliner format, which combines the portability of a tabloid with the sensibility of a broadsheet," he said.
Continuing to sell at 60p, the paper has been expanded with a new science page, a new economics section and a larger comment and letters section.
The sports section becomes a separate section every day, with 12 pages from Tuesday to Friday and more on Saturday and Monday.
The G2 tabloid has had a redesign into a stitched half-Berliner-size full colour magazine. It will have the same deadlines as the news section.
The weekly specialist sections will be expanded from tabloid to Berliner size. The schedule is unchanged, with Media on Monday, Education on Tuesday, and Society on Wednesday. Thursday's Online section becomes Technology, while Friday's Review section becomes Film and Music.
The Saturday edition will continue to sell for £1.20 and will contain nine sections, including a new eight-page Family section, while the Jobs & Money section has been split into two separate sections.
The Observer will move to the Berliner format in early 2006.
Parent company Guardian Media Group greenlighted the format change in June last year, a month after The Independent went to a fully tabloid print run.
The Times followed suit in November 2004 after launching a tabloid alternative in December 2003.
While The Independent and The Times both experienced circulation boosts from going compact, The Guardian has seen its six-month average circulation slip by 3.59% from 379,024 to 365,433 copies.
In contrast to its rivals it has opted to make the format changeover in one fell swoop rather printing both sizes, while it has also communicated more with media agencies and advertisers.
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