1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Champion is a commercial printer, business forms manufacturer and office products and office furniture supplier in regional markets in the United States of America, east of the Mississippi. Champion also publishes The Herald-Dispatch daily newspaper in Huntington, West Virginia with a total daily and Sunday circulation of approximately 24,000 and 30,000 respectively.

The accounting and reporting policies of Champion conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

As of July 1, 2009, FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board) Accounting Standards Codification became the single reference source of authoritative non-governmental U.S. GAAP. In the succeeding footnotes references to GAAP issued by the FASB are to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification which is denoted here forth as ASC. The following is a summary of the more significant accounting and reporting policies which include updated references to GAAP as stated by the ASC which became effective for financial reporting purposes as of September 15, 2009.

Restatement of Prior Years

During the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company determined that its historical methodology for accruing for compensated absences related to vacation did not properly reflect a liability for vacation partially earned during the fiscal year and anticipated to be utilized by the employee in the subsequent year. The Company determined that the balances should be corrected in the earliest period presented by correcting any individual amounts in the financial statements. The periods impacted by this correction commence with periods earlier than any periods presented in this annual report. Therefore, the Company will correct this by recording a cumulative effect of this amount in the earliest period presented as a decrease in retained earnings of $328,000, an increase in accrued expenses in the amount of $547,000 and an increase in deferred tax assets of $219,000. This adjustment did not have a material impact on net income for any period presented in this annual report. Accordingly, the consolidated financial statements for periods ended October 31, 2007, through October 31, 2010, have been restated to reflect this adjustment. In accordance with ASC Topic 250, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections, we evaluated the materiality of the error from a qualitative and quantitative perspective and concluded that the error was not material to any prior period. Further, we evaluated the materiality of the error on the results of operations for the fiscal years end October 31, 2007, through October 31, 2010, and concluded that the error was not material for the year or the trend of financial results for any period presented.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements of Champion Industries, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) include the accounts of The Chapman Printing Company, Inc., Bourque Printing, Inc., Dallas Printing Company, Inc., Stationers, Inc., Carolina Cut Sheets, Inc., U.S. Tag & Ticket, Donihe Graphics, Inc., Smith and Butterfield Co., Inc., The Merten Company, Interform Corporation, Blue Ridge Printing Co., Inc., CHMP Leasing, Inc., Rose City Press, Capitol Business Equipment, Inc., Thompson's of Morgantown, Inc., Independent Printing Service, Inc., Diez Business Machines, Transdata Systems, Inc., Syscan Corporation and Champion Publishing, Inc.

Significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are stated at the amount billed to customers and generally do not bear interest. Accounts receivable are ordinarily due 30 days from the invoice date.

The Company encounters risks associated with sales and the collection of the associated accounts receivable. As such, the Company records a monthly provision for accounts receivable that are considered to be uncollectible. In order to calculate the appropriate monthly provision, the Company primarily utilizes a historical rate of accounts receivable written off as a percentage of total revenue. This historical rate is applied to the current revenues on a monthly basis. The historical rate is updated periodically based on events that may change the rate such as a significant increase or decrease in collection performance and timing of payments as well as the calculated total exposure in relation to the allowance. Periodically, the Company compares the identified credit risks with the allowance that has been established using historical experience and adjusts the allowance accordingly.

During 2011, 2010 and 2009, $270,000, $370,000, and $876,000 of bad debt expense was incurred and the allowance for doubtful accounts was $933,000, $1,297,000, and $1,353,000 as of October 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009. The actual write-offs for the periods were $633,000, $426,000, and $1,375,000 during 2011, 2010 and 2009. The actual write-offs occur when it is determined an account will not be collected. General economic conditions and specific geographic and customer concerns are major factors that may affect the adequacy of the allowance and may result in a change in the annual bad debt expense.

No individual customer represented greater than 4.0% of the gross outstanding accounts receivable at October 31, 2011 and 2010. The Company's ten largest accounts receivable balances represented 19.0% and 17.4% of gross outstanding accounts receivable at October 31, 2011 and 2010.

Inventories

Inventories are principally stated at the lower of first-in, first-out, cost or market. Manufactured finished goods and work-in-process inventories include material, direct labor and overhead based on standard costs, which approximate actual costs.

Inventory Reserves

Reserves for slow moving and obsolete inventories are provided based on historical experience, inventory aging historical review and management judgment. The Company continuously evaluates the adequacy of these reserves and makes adjustments to these reserves as required.

Property and Equipment

Depreciation of property and equipment and amortization of leasehold improvements and equipment under capital leases are recognized primarily on the straight-line and declining-balance methods in amounts adequate to amortize costs over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows:

Buildings and improvements	5 - 40 years
Machinery and equipment	3 - 10 years
Furniture and fixtures	5 - 10 years
Vehicles	3 - 5 years

Major renewals, betterments and replacements are capitalized while maintenance and repair costs are charged to operations as incurred. Upon the sale or disposition of assets, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts with the resulting gains or losses reflected in income. Depreciation expense approximated $3,664,000, $3,844,000, and $4,199,000 for the years ended October 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 and is reflected as a component of cost of sales and newspaper operating costs and selling, general and administrative expenses.

Long-lived property and equipment are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. This evaluation includes the review of operating performance and estimated future undiscounted cash flows of the underlying assets or businesses.

Goodwill

Goodwill shall not be amortized; instead it is tested for impairment using a fair-value approach on an annual basis typically for the Company during the fourth quarter of each year. Goodwill is also tested between annual tests if indicators of potential impairment exist.

Goodwill shall not be amortized; instead, it shall be tested for impairment at a level of reporting referred to as a reporting unit. The first step of impairment analysis is a screen for potential impairment and the second step, if required, measures the amount of the impairment. The Company performs an annual impairment test annually. The Company recorded various charges associated with Goodwill and other assets in 2011 and 2009 as further disclosed in Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Intangible Assets

Trademark and masthead are not subject to amortization whereas other remaining intangible assets are subject to amortization and are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated benefit period, in our case 5-20 years. The fair values of these intangible assets are estimated based on management's assessment as well as independent third party appraisals in some cases.

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense for the years ended October 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 approximated $592,000, $598,000, and $791,000.

Income Taxes

Provisions for income taxes currently payable and deferred income taxes are based on the liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is established to reduce deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that a deferred tax asset will not be realized.

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for the period and excludes any dilutive effects of stock options. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for the period plus the shares that would be outstanding assuming the exercise of dilutive stock options using the treasury stock method. There was no dilutive effect in fiscal 2011, 2010, and 2009.

Segment Information

The Company designates the internal organization that is used by management for making operating decisions and assessing performance as the source of the Company's reportable segments. The Company's operating segments are more fully described in Note 9.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues are recognized when products are shipped or ownership is transferred and when services are rendered to customers. The Company acts as a principal party in sales transactions, assumes title to products and assumes the risks and rewards of ownership including risk of loss for collection, delivery or returns. The Company typically recognizes revenue for the majority of its products upon shipment to the customer and transfer of title. Under agreements with certain customers, custom forms may be stored by the Company for future delivery. In these situations, the Company may receive a logistics and warehouse management fee for the services provided. In these cases, delivery and bill schedules are outlined with the customer and product revenue is recognized when manufacturing is complete and the product is received into the warehouse, title transfers to the customer, the order is invoiced and there is reasonable assurance of collectability. Since the majority of products are customized, product returns are not significant. Therefore, the Company records sales on a gross basis. Advertising revenues are recognized, net of agency commissions, in the period when advertising is printed or placed on websites. Circulation revenues are recognized when purchased newspapers are distributed. Amounts received from customers in advance of revenue recognized are recorded as deferred revenue. The deferred revenue associated with The Herald-Dispatch approximated $614,000, and $591,000 at October 31, 2011 and 2010. Revenue generally is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to government authorities. The costs of delivering finished goods to customers are recorded as shipping and handling costs and included in cost of sales. Shipping and handling costs that are included in the price of the product are included in net sales.

Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities

A liability for a cost associated with an exit or disposal activity shall be measured initially at its fair value in the period in which the liability is incurred.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

Before the adoption of the current applicable accounting standards, the Company had elected to follow the intrinsic value method in accounting for its employee stock options. Accordingly, because the exercise price of the Company's employee stock options equals the market price of the underlying stock on the date of grant, no compensation expense was recognized. There were no stock option grants in 2011, 2010 or 2009. Any future stock-based compensation will be measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and it would be recognized as an expense over the applicable vesting periods of the stock award using the straight line method.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company measures and records in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements certain liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis. There is a fair value hierarchy for those instruments measured at fair value that distinguishes between assumptions based on market data (observable inputs) and our own assumptions (unobservable inputs). The hierarchy consists of three levels:

Level 1 - Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities

Level 2 - Inputs other than Level 1 inputs that are either directly or indirectly observable; and

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs developed using estimates and assumptions developed by the Company, which reflect those that a market participant would use.

Our interest bearing debt is primarily composed of a revolving line of credit and term loan facility with a syndicate of banks. The carrying amount of these facilities and their fair value are discussed further in Note 3.

Cash and cash equivalents consist principally of cash on deposit with banks, all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less. The Company's cash deposits in excess of federally insured amounts are primarily maintained at a large well-known financial institution.

The carrying amounts of the Company's accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued payrolls and commissions, taxes accrued and withheld and accrued expenses approximates fair value due to their short-term nature.

Goodwill and other intangible assets are measured on a non-recurring basis using Level 3 inputs, as further discussed in Note 11.

Newly Issued Accounting Standards

In 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2011-08, Testing Goodwill for Impairment, which provides new guidance on testing goodwill for impairment. This new guidance gives the Company, subject to certain conditions, the option of first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. The Company adopted this guidance in 2011, as permitted. Adoption did not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Comprehensive Income. In June and December 2011, the FASB issued guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income. This guidance eliminates the option to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity, which is our current presentation, and also requires presentation of reclassification adjustments from other comprehensive income to net income on the face of the financial statements. This guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2011, with the exception of the requirement to present reclassification adjustments from other comprehensive income to net income on the face of the financial statements, which has been deferred pending further deliberation by the FASB, and is not expected to have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations, though it will change our financial statement presentation.

Reclassification

Certain prior-year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year Financial Statement Presentation.