Debt - Schedule of the Company's Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail)			3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2016	Mar. 13, 2012	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
8.60% Senior Notes Due August 15, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			8.60%	8.60%
Maturity date				Aug. 15, 2016
6.125% Senior Notes Due January 15, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	6.125%		6.125%	6.125%
Maturity date	Jan. 15, 2017			Jan. 15, 2017
7.25% Senior Notes Due May 15, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	7.25%		7.25%	7.25%
Maturity date	May 15, 2018			May 15, 2018
11.25% Senior Notes Due February 1, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			11.25%	11.25%
Maturity date				Feb. 01, 2019
Effective interest rate			13.00%	13.00%	12.75%
8.25% Senior Notes Due March 15, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	8.25%	8.25%	8.25%	8.25%
Maturity date	Mar. 15, 2019	Mar. 15, 2019	Mar. 15, 2019	Mar. 15, 2019
7.625% Senior Notes Due June 15, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			7.625%	7.625%
Maturity date				Jun. 15, 2020
7.875% Senior Notes Due March 15, 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			7.875%	7.875%
Maturity date				Mar. 15, 2021
8.875% Debentures Due April 15, 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			8.875%	8.875%
Maturity date				Apr. 15, 2021
7.00% Senior Notes Due February 15, 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	7.00%		7.00%	7.00%
Maturity date	Feb. 15, 2022			Feb. 15, 2022
6.50% Senior Notes Due November 15, 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			6.50%	6.50%
Maturity date				Nov. 15, 2023
6.00% Senior Notes Due due April 1, 2024
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			6.00%	6.00%
Maturity date				Apr. 01, 2024
6.625% Debentures Due April 15, 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			6.625%	6.625%
Maturity date				Apr. 15, 2029
8.820% Debentures Due April 15, 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			8.82%	8.82%
Maturity date				Apr. 15, 2031
8.250% Senior Notes Due 2024 | Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			8.25%	8.25%
Maturity year				2024
8.750% Senior Notes Due 2023 | LSC Communications, Inc.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			8.75%	8.75%
Maturity year				2023