Significant Accounting Policies | Note 2. Significant Accounting Policies Use of Estimates —The preparation of consolidated financial statements, in conformity with GAAP, requires the extensive use of management’s estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Estimates are used when accounting for items and matters including, but not limited to, allowance for uncollectible accounts receivable, pension, goodwill and other intangible assets, asset valuations and useful lives, income taxes and other provisions and contingencies. Foreign Operations —Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates existing at the respective balance sheet dates. Income and expense items are translated at the average rates during the respective periods. Translation adjustments resulting from fluctuations in exchange rates are recorded as a separate component of other comprehensive income (loss) while transaction gains and losses are recorded in net earnings. Deferred taxes are not provided on cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments when the Company expects foreign earnings to be indefinitely reinvested. Fair Value Measurements— Certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at fair value on a recurring basis. Fair value is determined based on the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. The Company records the fair value of its pension plan assets on a recurring basis. See Note 14, , for the fair value of the Company’s pension plan assets as of December 31, 2019. The Company measures its equity investments that do not have a readily determinable fair value, at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. See Note 11, Investments In addition to assets and liabilities that are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis, the Company is required to record certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, generally as a result of acquisitions or the remeasurement of assets resulting in impairment charges. Assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis include long-lived assets held and used, long-lived assets held for sale, goodwill and other intangible assets. The fair value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate their carrying values. The three-tier value hierarchy, which prioritizes valuation methodologies based on the reliability of the inputs, is: Level 1 — Valuations based on quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets. Level 2 — Valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data. Level 3 — Valuations based on unobservable inputs reflecting the Company’s own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants. Revenue Recognition — The Company manages highly-customized data and materials, such as filings on behalf of its customers with the SEC related to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and performs eXtensible Business Reporting Language (“XBRL”) and related services. The Company’s SaaS offerings include the Venue Virtual Data Room, the FundSuiteArc software platform, ActiveDisclosure and data and analytics, among others. The Company also provides digital document creation, online content management and print and distribution solutions to public and private companies, mutual funds and other regulated investment firms to serve their regulatory and compliance needs. The Company separately reports its net sales and related cost of sales for its services and products offerings. The Company’s services offerings consist of document composition, compliance-related EDGAR filing services, transaction solutions, and the Company’s SaaS solutions, including Venue, FundSuiteArc, ActiveDisclosure, EDGAR Online and others. The Company’s product offerings primarily consist of conventional and digital printed products and related shipping costs. Prior to the sale of the Company’s Language Solutions business on July 22, 2018, the Company provided language solutions services to international clients. Refer to Note 3 , Revenue , for a discussion of the Company’s revenue recognition following the 2018 adoption of the Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”) . Cash and cash equivalents — The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Short-term securities consist of investment grade instruments of governments, financial institutions and corporations. Receivables — Receivables are stated net of allowances for doubtful accounts and primarily include trade receivables as well as miscellaneous receivables from suppliers. Specific customer provisions are made when a review of significant outstanding amounts, utilizing information about customer creditworthiness and current economic trends, indicates that collection is doubtful. In addition, provisions are made at differing rates, based upon the age of the receivable and the Company’s historical collection experience. No single customer comprised more than 10% of the Company’s net sales in 2019, 2018 or 2017. See Note 8, for details of activity affecting the allowance for doubtful accounts receivable. Inventories — Inventories include material, labor and factory overhead and are stated at the lower of cost or market and net of excess and obsolescence reserves for raw materials. Provisions for excess and obsolete inventories are made at differing rates, utilizing historical data and current economic trends, based upon the age and type of the inventory. Specific excess and obsolescence provisions are also made when a review of specific balances indicates that the inventories will not be utilized in production or sold. Inventory is valued using the First-In, First-Out (FIFO) method. Prepaid Expenses — Prepaid expenses as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 were $9.6 million and $13.9 million, respectively. Long-Lived Assets — The Company assesses potential impairments to its long-lived assets, including long-lived intangible assets, if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. An impaired asset is written down to its estimated fair value based upon the most recent information available. Estimated fair market value is generally measured by discounting estimated future cash flows. Long-lived assets, other than goodwill, are recorded at the lower of the carrying value or the fair market value less the estimated cost to sell. Property, plant and equipment — Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. Useful lives range from 15 to 40 years for buildings, the lesser of 7 years or the lease term for leasehold improvements and from 3 to 15 years for machinery and equipment. Maintenance and repair costs are charged to expense as incurred. Major overhauls that extend the useful lives of existing assets are capitalized. When properties are retired or disposed, the costs and accumulated depreciation are eliminated and the resulting profit or loss is recognized in the results of operations. Software — The Company incurs costs to develop software applications for internal-use and for the development of SaaS solutions sold to its clients. These costs include both direct costs from third-party vendors and eligible salaries and payroll-related costs of employees. The Company capitalizes costs associated with internal-use software and SaaS solutions when management with the relevant authority authorizes and commits to the funding of the software project and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will be used to perform the functions intended. Costs associated with upgrades and enhancements of internal-use software and SaaS solutions are capitalized only if such modifications result in additional functionality of the software, whereas costs incurred for preliminary project stage activities, training, project management and maintenance is expensed as incurred. Capitalized software development costs are amortized over their estimated useful life using the straight-line method, up to a maximum of three years. Amortization expense related to internally-developed software, excluding amortization expense related to other intangible assets, was $27.6 million, $24.3 million and $22.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Goodwill — Goodwill is either assigned to a specific reporting unit or allocated between reporting units based on the relative fair value of each reporting unit in certain circumstances. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment annually as of October 31 or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is below its carrying amount. The Company also performs an interim review for indicators of impairment at each quarter-end to assess whether an interim impairment review is required for any reporting unit. For certain reporting units, the Company may perform a qualitative, rather than quantitative, assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. In performing this qualitative analysis, the Company considers various factors, including the excess of prior year estimates of fair value compared to carrying value, the effect of market or industry changes and the reporting units’ actual results compared to projected results. Based on this qualitative analysis, if management determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is greater than its carrying value, no further impairment testing is performed. For the year ended December 31, 2019, each of the reporting units was reviewed for impairment using a quantitative assessment. The Company compared each reporting unit’s fair value, estimated based on comparable company market valuations and expected future discounted cash flows to be generated by the reporting unit, to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, the Company will recognize an impairment loss for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value. The results of the quantitative assessment of goodwill impairment as of October 31, 2019, indicated that the estimated fair values for each of the reporting units exceeded their respective carrying amounts. Therefore, no impairment losses were recognized. Other long-lived intangible assets are recognized separately from goodwill and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. See Note 6, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, Share-Based Compensation — The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense based on estimated fair values for all share-based awards made to employees and directors, including non-qualified stock options (“stock options”), restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance-based restricted stock (“PBRS”) and performance share units (“PSUs”). The Company recognizes compensation costs for RSUs expected to vest, on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award, which is generally the vesting term of three years. Compensation expense for PBRS awards granted in 2016, which vest on a graded basis, is recognized utilizing a graded vesting schedule. Compensation expense for PBRS awards granted in 2017, which cliff vest, is recognized on a straight-line basis over the performance period of the award. The Company recognizes compensation costs for PSUs, which cliff vest, on a straight-line basis over the performance period of the award. Compensation expense for stock options is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award, which is generally the vesting term of four years. See Note 18, , for further discussion. Pension and Other Post-Retirement Plans — DFIN engages outside actuaries to assist in the determination of the obligations and costs under these plans, which are frozen to new participants. The annual income and expense amounts relating to the pension plan and other postretirement benefit plan are based on calculations which include various actuarial assumptions including, mortality expectations, discount rates and expected long-term rates of return. The Company reviews its actuarial assumptions on an annual basis and makes modifications to the assumptions based on current rates and trends when it is deemed appropriate to do so. The effects of modifications on the value of plan obligations and assets is recognized immediately within other comprehensive income (loss) and amortized into operating earnings over future periods. The Company believes that the assumptions utilized in recording its obligations under its plans are reasonable based on its experience, market conditions and input from its actuaries and investment advisors. Refer to Note 14, , for further discussion. Income Taxes — Deferred taxes are provided using an asset and liability method whereby deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences and operating loss carryforwards and deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Temporary differences are the differences between the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax basis. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment. The Company maintains an income taxes payable or receivable account in each jurisdiction and, with the exception of certain entities outside the U.S. that transferred to the Company at Separation, the Company is deemed to settle current tax balances with the RRD tax paying entities in the respective jurisdictions. The Company classifies interest expense and any related penalties related to income tax uncertainties as a component of income tax expense. The Company is regularly audited by foreign and domestic tax authorities. These audits occasionally result in proposed assessments where the ultimate resolution might result in the Company owing additional taxes, including in some cases, penalties and interest. The Company recognizes a tax position in its financial statements when it is more likely than not ( i.e., Income Taxes, Commitments and Contingencies — The Company is subject to lawsuits, investigations and other claims related to environmental, employment, commercial and other matters, as well as preference claims related to amounts received from customers and others prior to their seeking bankruptcy protection. Periodically, the Company reviews the status of each significant matter and assesses potential financial exposure. See Note 13, , for further discussion. Restructuring — The Company records restructuring charges when liabilities are incurred as part of a plan approved by management with the appropriate level of authority for the elimination of duplicative functions, the closure of facilities, or the exit of a line of business, generally in order to reduce the Company’s overall cost structure. See Note 5, , for further discussion. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, which requires lessees to record most leases on the balance sheet but recognize expense on the income statement in a manner similar to the former accounting standard. The Company adopted the standard and all related amendments on January 1, 2019 using the optional transition method. The comparative periods have not been restated and continue to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods. Refer to Note 7, Leases Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326) Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”), which replaces the incurred loss model with a current expected credit loss (“CECL”) model and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to explain credit loss estimates. This standard applies to financial assets, measured at amortized cost, including loans, held-to-maturity debt securities, net investments in leases and trade accounts receivable. The guidance must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition method through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings in the period of adoption. The Company will adopt the standard in the first quarter of 2020. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40).” The standard requires a customer in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract to follow the internal-use software guidance to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as an asset related to the service contract and to expense the capitalized implementation costs over the term of the hosting arrangement. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and the interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company will adopt the amendment prospectively in the first quarter of 2020. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (“ASU 2019-12”), which modifies ASC 740 , Income Taxes, to simplify the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions for recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intraperiod allocation and calculating income taxes in interim periods. ASU 2019-12 also adds guidance to reduce complexity in certain areas, including recognizing deferred taxes for tax goodwill and allocating taxes to members of a consolidated group. The standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020 . Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard on its con solidated financial statements. |