Employee Benefit Plan (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2012	Oct. 31, 2011	Oct. 31, 2010
Defined contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accrued vacation liability	$ 736,000	$ 760,000
Options outstanding [Roll Forward]
Granted (in shares)	0	0	0
Stock Option Plan 1993 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized for issuance (in shares)	762,939
Stock Option Plan 2003 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized for issuance (in shares)	475,000
Stock Options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options vested and exercised period	5 years
Options outstanding [Roll Forward]
Outstanding-beginning of year (in shares)	0	0	220,000
Granted (in shares)	0	0	0
Exercised (in shares)	0	0	0
Forfeited or expired (in shares)	0	0	(220,000)
Outstanding-end of year (in shares)	0	0	0
Weighted average fair value of options granted during the year (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	0
Weighted Average Exercise Price [Roll Forward]
Outstanding-beginning of year (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	4.26
Granted (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	0
Exercised (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	0
Forfeited or expired (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	4.26
Outstanding-end of year Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	0
Champion Industries Inc. 401 (k) Plan [Member]
Defined contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Maximum annual contribution per employee (in hundredths)	15.00%
Employer matching contribution (in hundredths)	100.00%
Matching contribution, maximum (in hundredths)	2.00%
Discretionary contributions	$ 0	$ 0	105,000

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Maximum Percentage of employees' gross pay for which the employer contributes a matching contribution to a defined contribution plan.

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- Definition

Carrying value as of the balance sheet date of obligations incurred and payable for unused vacation time owed to employees based on the entity's vacation benefit given to its employees. Used to reflect the current portion of the liabilities (due within one year or within the normal operating cycle if longer).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher AICPA

-Name Accounting Research Bulletin (ARB)

-Number 43

-Section A

-Paragraph 8

-Chapter 3

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 710

-SubTopic 10

-Section 25

-Paragraph 3

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-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 02

-Paragraph 20

-Article 5

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 43

-Paragraph 13

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.20)

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 6

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- Definition

The amount of the cost recognized during the period for defined contribution plans.

+ References

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 70

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6414718&loc=d3e28014-114942

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-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

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Percentage of employees' gross pay for which the employer contributes a matching contribution to a defined contribution plan.

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No definition available.

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Maximum percentage of employee gross pay, by the terms of the plan, that the employer may contribute to a defined contribution plan.

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Period which an employee's right to exercise an award is no longer contingent on satisfaction of either a service condition, market condition or a performance condition, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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The maximum number of shares (or other type of equity) originally approved (usually by shareholders and board of directors), net of any subsequent amendments and adjustments, for awards under the equity-based compensation plan. As stock or unit options and equity instruments other than options are awarded to participants, the shares or units remain authorized and become reserved for issuance under outstanding awards (not necessarily vested).

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For presentations that combine terminations, the number of shares under options that were cancelled during the reporting period as a result of occurrence of a terminating event specified in contractual agreements pertaining to the stock option plan or that expired.

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Weighted average price of options that were either forfeited or expired.

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Gross number of share options (or share units) granted during the period.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the reporting period as calculated by applying the disclosed option pricing methodology.

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- Definition

The number of shares reserved for issuance under stock option agreements awarded under the plan that validly exist and are outstanding as of the balance sheet date, including vested options.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 123R

-Paragraph A240

-Subparagraph b(1)(b)

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 718

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- Definition

Weighted average price at which grantees can acquire the shares reserved for issuance under the stock option plan.

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- Definition

Weighted average price at which option holders acquired shares when converting their stock options into shares.

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Weighted average price at which grantees can acquire the shares reserved for issuance on stock options awarded.

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Number of share options (or share units) exercised during the current period.

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.28,29)

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-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

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-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 02

-Paragraph 29, 30

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 505

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-Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04)

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