<PAGE>   1
                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D. C. 20549

                                   FORM 10-K/A

(X)      Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
         Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1996.

(  )     Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
         Exchange Act of 1934

                           Commission file no. 1-7088
                                               ------
                        AMERICAN BUSINESS PRODUCTS, INC.
                        --------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

       Georgia                                          58-1030529
       -------                                          ----------
(State of Incorporation)                    (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

           2100 RiverEdge Parkway, Suite 1200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328 (Address
          of principal executive offices, including zip code)

                                 (770) 953-8300

              (Registrant's telephone number , including area code)

                              ---------------------

           Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

                                                         
                                                         Name of each exchange
Title of each class                                      on which registered
-------------------                                      -------------------

Common Stock, $2 par value                               New York Stock Exchange

Common Stock Purchase Rights                             New York Stock Exchange

           Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

                                      None

                                -----------------

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required
to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days. Yes X No _

The aggregate market value of the registrant's outstanding Common Stock, $2.00
par value per share, held by non-affiliates of the registrant on March 4, 1997
was $265,540,663.

There were 16,408,617 shares of Common Stock outstanding on March 4, 1997.

                   DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant's 1996 Annual Report for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 1996, are incorporated by reference in Parts I and II hereof.
Portions of the registrant's Proxy Statement for the 1997 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders to be held on April 23, 1997, are incorporated by reference in Part
III hereof.

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405
of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the
best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this
Form 10-K. [ _X_]


<PAGE>   2



 (1) ITEM 1 - BUSINESS

General

         American Business Products, Inc. ("American Business Products") was
         incorporated under the laws of Delaware in December 1967 to acquire the
         stock of Curtis 1000 Inc., a producer of envelopes and forms which has
         operated since 1882. Hereinafter, American Business Products and its
         subsidiaries are collectively referred to as the "Company." In April
         1986, American Business Products was reincorporated under the laws of
         Georgia. The Company is in the business of manufacturing and
         distributing specialty custom printed information products and
         services. The Company is one of the nation's leading suppliers of
         printed business supplies, principally envelope products, custom labels
         and custom business forms. Additionally, the Company manufactures and
         distributes books for the publishing industry and also engages in
         specialty extrusion coating and laminating of papers, films, and
         nonwoven fabrics for packaging and other products.

Sale of Subsidiary Assets

         Effective on December 31, 1996, Vanier Graphics Corporation ("Vanier"),
         a wholly owned subsidiary of American Business Products, sold
         substantially all its assets to The Reynolds and Reynolds Company (the
         "Vanier Sale"). Vanier was a manufacturer of business forms and a
         provider of forms management and work-flow analysis.

Restructuring Program

         During 1996 the Company reconfigured much of its business supplies
         production by closing 13 generally smaller plants in various locations
         and transferring their production to a smaller number of larger, more
         efficient facilities. This action is expected to reduce operating costs
         and result in higher equipment utilization, improved employee
         productivity and other scale economies.

Business Segments

         The Company's product line is composed of three business segments:
         business supplies printing, book manufacturing, and specialty extrusion
         coating and laminating.

         Business supplies printing consists principally of the manufacture of a
         wide variety of specialty mailers, envelopes, labels and lightweight
         packaging, and other related products and services including digital
         imaging or on-demand printing of various documents and materials for
         businesses. The manufacture and distribution of customized specialty
         labels is a rapidly growing part of this segment. The Company produces
         a complete line of standard and specialized types and sizes of
         envelopes. Prior to the Vanier Sale the Company also manufactured
         business forms. Business supplies printing accounted for 74.1% of the
         Company's sales in 1996, 75.2% in 1995 and 76.2% in 1994.

         Book manufacturing consists of the printing and binding of both hard
         cover and soft cover books for the publishing industry. In addition,
         the Company provides storage and order fulfillment services by shipping
         orders to publishers' customers from two large distribution centers.
         This business segment accounted for 8.6% of the Company's sales in 
         1996, 9.2% in 1995 and 8.8% in 1994.

         Specialty extrusion coating and laminating consist of applying plastic
         coatings in varying degrees of thickness to rolls of paper, film or
         fabric. The Company also prints and metalizes certain of these products
         for customers. The materials produced by this segment are used
         primarily for packaging consumer products such as individual servings
         of sugar, salt and pepper, sugar substitutes, and candy and ice cream
         bars, as well as medical and pharmaceutical products. These materials
         also are used for composite can liners and release liner papers for
         pressure sensitive products such as labels and postage stamps. This
         business segment accounted for 17.3% of the Company's sales in 1996,
         15.6% in 1995 and 15.0% in 1994.



                                       2
<PAGE>   3


         Financial information regarding the Company's three business segments
         is presented in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under
         the heading "Business Segment Information" of the Company's 1996 Annual
         Report, which information is incorporated herein by reference. Portions
         of the 1996 Annual Report are filed as Exhibit 13 to this Annual Report
         on Form 10-K.

Production

         Substantially all of the Company's products are manufactured by wholly
         owned subsidiaries of the Company in 13 manufacturing facilities
         located throughout the United States. (See "Item 2 - Properties.") The
         principal raw materials used by the Company in the manufacture of its
         products are paper, carbon, ink and poly-resins. All purchases of such
         materials are made at competitive prices negotiated with suppliers. The
         Company believes that there are sufficient alternative sources of
         supply to provide its raw material requirements if for any reason its
         present suppliers are unable to do so.

Trademarks

         The Company holds trademarks which management believes are sufficient
         for the operation of its business without any substantial restrictions
         and adequate for the operation of each business segment.

Backlog

         As of January 31, 1997, the Company had backlogs believed to be firm of
         approximately $30.4 million for business supplies printing,
         approximately $5.2 million for book manufacturing and approximately
         $16.4 million for extrusion coating and laminating. Comparable backlogs
         as of January 31, 1996 were approximately $49.0 million for business
         supplies printing, approximately $5.2 million for book manufacturing
         and approximately $9.6 million for extrusion coating and laminating.
         All present backlogs are expected to be filled during 1997.

Distribution and Customers

         The Company's products are sold throughout the United States, and less
         than 1% of the Company's sales in any year have been outside of the
         United States. The Company's products are sold principally through
         approximately 493 sales representatives. No customer or related group
         of customers in 1996 accounted for 10% or more of the sales of the
         Company. Demand for the Company's business supplies printing, book
         manufacturing and extrusion coating and laminating generally is not
         seasonal.

Competition

         Business supplies printing, book manufacturing, and specialty extrusion
         coating are highly competitive industries. Principal methods of
         competition are pricing and service. The business supplies industry
         generally falls within the commercial printing industry, which had
         estimated 1996 sales of $88 billion with a projected growth of 6% in
         1997, according to an industry trade association. Printed business
         supplies are produced by thousands of commercial printing enterprises,
         estimated at 40,000 establishments, ranging from small family
         operations to large multinational corporations. To improve its
         competitive position, the Company's business supplies operations
         reconfigured production facilities for greater efficiency and began
         implementing a plan of business process reengineering and redesigned,
         advanced technology order-processing and information systems. In
         marketing many of its products, the Company competes with some larger
         nationwide firms which have more resources than the Company as well as
         numerous local and regional businesses, most of which are smaller than
         the Company. The Company has generally maintained or increased its
         market share against competitors by: (1) using to advantage its sales
         force, unusually large for its industries; (2) utilizing its ability to
         process numerous small orders efficiently; (3) creating new products
         and modifying existing products to meet market needs; and (4) providing
         faster and/or more dependable processing and delivery of customer



                                       3
<PAGE>   4


         orders. Based on annual revenues attributable to the production of
         business supplies, the Company is a leading U.S. producer of printed
         business supplies. No competitor is known to offer a greater range of
         products than that offered by the Company.

         In the envelope industry, which had United States sales of
         approximately $2.9 billion in 1996, according to the Department of
         Commerce, the Company's largest subsidiary, Curtis 1000 Inc., is
         believed to be the leading direct-to-user marketer of business
         envelopes in the United States based on annual revenues, yet still has
         only a small share of the total market. Within the industry, the
         Company also holds a strong competitive position in the sale of
         specialty envelopes, including those manufactured from paper and a
         synthetic, olefin, which offers superior quality, lighter weight and
         postage savings to customers in comparison with kraft paper envelopes
         of the same size. Specialty envelopes comprise the strongest sector of
         this industry and continue to offer the most favorable growth outlook
         compared to other envelope products.

         In the business forms industry, strong pricing competition in recent
         years has created essentially a commodity market for these products,
         while competition from electronic communications has contributed to a
         decline or flattening of total industry sales, estimated at less than
         $7 billion in 1996 based on Department of Commerce projections.
         Although theCompany sold its business forms business, Vanier Graphics,
         in 1996, the Company's major business supplies subsidiary, Curtis 1000
         Inc., continues to provide customized forms for its customers and this
         is a substantial portion of Curtis 1000 sales. However, these products
         are marketed as value-added products usually as part of a total
         "business solutions" plan, including other products such as envelopes
         and on-demand printing, and are not positioned as a low-priced
         commodity, thus affording the Company competitive advantages through
         its large direct sales force and relationship selling.

         Book printing, which had industry sales exceeding $5 billion in 1996,
         is also highly competitive, and the Company competes with numerous
         other book manufacturers, many of which are larger and have
         substantially more resources than the Company and therefore possible
         advantages in production and marketing economies of scale and
         efficiencies. However, the Company has achieved growth by providing
         complete order fulfillment services for customers or publishers and
         targeting certain segments of the industry as more attractive sectors,
         including university presses and publishers of religious books, while
         specializing in short to medium runs of book printing and acquiring and
         utilizing advanced technology to provide high quality service and
         broaden the product line.

         Major competitors for the extrusion coating and laminating business
         segment, which nationally had 1996 sales of approximately $3 billion,
         are relatively few. They include Thilmany (division of International
         Paper), several divisions of James River Corporation and Twin Pack
         (Canada). Management believes none of these competitors is superior to
         the Company's subsidiary, Jen-Coat, in terms of quality and service,
         which together with price form the basis of competition in this
         business segment. An advantage is considered to be the entry barriers
         to the industry, including a significant capital investment, which may
         deter smaller companies, and highly individual market niches with
         relatively low sales volume, which generally deters larger companies
         from entering this industry.

         Within the combined markets of the Company, the Company's total share
         of sales is relatively small, providing the opportunity to increase
         market share through innovative and creative products and effective
         marketing, which are major elements of the Company's strategy for
         growth.

    Environmental Matters

         The Company knows of no significant environmental liabilities involving
         its operations.

    Employees

         At December 31, 1996, the Company had approximately 3,520 full-time
         employees. No significant number of employees is covered by any
         collective bargaining agreement.



                                       4
<PAGE>   5


      International Operations

         The Company has a European joint venture, Curtis 1000 Europe GmbH
         ("Curtis 1000 Europe"), which is 50% owned by the Company and has
         plants in four countries: Germany, England, Luxembourg and Poland (See
         Part I - Item 2). Curtis 1000 Europe manufactures and sells envelopes
         of all kinds. The Company's share of net income of Curtis 1000 Europe,
         which is not significant, is translated at average exchange rates
         prevailing during the year, and is included in the Consolidated
         Financial Statements of the Company and Notes to Consolidated Financial
         Statements which are incorporated herein by reference. (See Part II,
         Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.")

      Federal, State or Local Regulations

         Federal, state, and local regulations relating to protection of the
         environment have not had and are not expected to have a material
         adverse effect upon the Company's capital expenditures, liquidity,
         earnings, or competitive position. The Company's various operating
         units are subject to EPA, state, and local standards for air emissions,
         industrial storm water discharges, generation of hazardous waste,
         heating oil underground storage tanks, release response, hazardous
         chemicals use reporting, sewer use, and the like, and the Company
         believes that it is in substantial compliance with the applicable
         standards. None of these environmental standards has had or is expected
         to have a material adverse effect upon the Company.

         Soil and groundwater contamination has been detected at a discontinued
         manufacturing facility of one of the Company's subsidiaries. The
         Company intends to address the contamination in conformity with the
         requirements established by the North Carolina Department of
         Environment, Health, and Natural Resources. The Company does not
         believe that such costs will have a material adverse effect on the
         Company.

(2) ITEM 2 - PROPERTIES

         The Company's executive offices are located in approximately 15,200
         square feet of space at 2100 RiverEdge Parkway, Suite 1200, Atlanta,
         Georgia. The offices are leased from an unrelated party under a lease
         expiring in 2003 which has a renewal option and annual cost of
         $252,000.

         In addition to the executive offices, the Company owns 12 production
         facilities in the United States encompassing approximately 982,000
         square feet. The Company leases a production facility of approximately
         85,000 square feet in Houston, Texas with a lease expiration of 2000
         and includes a renewal option and annual cost of $335,000. The Company
         leases a production facility of approximately 140,000 square feet in
         Exton, Pa. with a lease expiration of 2002 and includes a renewal
         option and annual cost of $840,000. The Company leases a production
         facility of approximately 65,000 square feet in Santa Fe Springs, Ca.
         with a lease expiration of 1999 and includes a renewal option and
         annual cost of $340,000. The company also leases a warehouse facility
         of approximately 40,000 square feet in Fontana, Ca. with a lease
         expiration of 2000 and annual cost of $137,000. Management believes
         that a suitable replacement facility can be obtained on comparable
         terms if a lease extension is not negotiated on the Fontana, Ca.
         facility

         The Company's business supplies printing business and book
         manufacturing business have eleven other property leases, primarily
         sales offices, with a total of approximately 32,000 square feet with
         various maturities from 1997 to 2000. Management believes that suitable
         replacement facilities can be obtained on comparable terms if lease
         extensions are not negotiated.

         The Company and a European partner have a joint venture, Curtis 1000
         Europe GmbH, which operates five production facilities. Two of the
         facilities in Germany and one in Poland are owned and one each in
         England and Luxembourg are leased.




                                       5
<PAGE>   6


         Certain properties owned by the Company are held subject to mortgages.
         See the information set forth under the heading "Long Term Debt" in the
         Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company's 1996 Annual
         Report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

         As of March 1, 1997 the Company owned ten properties which had been
         rendered redundant to operating needs due to the Vanier Sale, the 1996
         plant consolidation program and otherwise. The Company intends to sell
         all of these properties. All operating properties and equipment are
         believed to be in good condition, adequately utilized and suitable for
         the purposes for which they are used.

       ITEM 8 - FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

       MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

(3)(4) PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION

       The accompanying unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial
       statements give effect to the Vanier Sale as if the transaction occurred 
       on December 31, 1995. The pro forma condensed consolidated financial
       statements of the Company are presented for informational purposes only
       and their inclusion in this report is not intended to intimate that the
       pro forma information is a more meaningful indicator of the results of
       operations than the Company's reported financial results. Further, the
       pro forma information may not reflect the Company's future results of
       operations or what the results of operations of the Company would have
       been had the Vanier Sale occurred at the date indicated.




                                       6
<PAGE>   7


     UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
     YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996
     (In thousands, except per share amounts)

                                 Actual           Pro Forma          Pro Forma
                               December 31,     Adjustment for      December 31,
                                 1996            Disposition            1996

<S>                            <C>             <C>                   <C>      
Net Sales                      $    631,638    $   (130,293)         $  501,345

Cost and Expenses
  Cost of goods sold                443,621         (93,818)            349,803
  Selling and administrative        142,229         (31,136)            111,093
  Restructuring expenses              8,334          (1,426)              6,908
                               ------------    ------------          ----------
                                    594,184        (126,380)            467,804
                               ------------    ------------          ----------
  Operating Income                   37,454          (3,913)             33,541

Other Income (expense)
  Interest expense                   (7,525)            276              (7,249)
  Miscellaneous - net                 4,110           2,116 (1)(2)        6,226
                               ------------    ------------          ----------
Income Before Income Taxes           34,039          (1,521)             32,518
Provision for Income Taxes           12,985            (813)             12,172
                               ------------    ------------          ----------
Net Income                     $     21,054    $       (708)         $   20,346
                               ============    ============          ==========

Earnings Per Share             $       1.28    $      (0.04)         $     1.24
                               ============    ============          ==========
Weighted Average Number
of Common Shares Outstanding     16,395,851                          16,395,851
                               ============                          ==========
</TABLE>


     (1)    Includes the loss on the Vanier Sale of $2.8 million.

     (2)    Does not include interest income of approximately $2.1 million which
            the Company would have received had the net proceeds of the Vanier
            Sale been invested in money market instruments throughout 1996.

     Actual results for 1996 included a restructuring charge of $4.8 million
     after tax, or $0.29 per share, related to the Company's plant consolidation
     program, after tax gains of $1.8 million, or $0.11 per share, on the
     disposal of realty rendered redundant to operating needs by the plant
     consolidation program and a loss of $1.6 million after tax, or $0.10 per
     share, on the Vanier Sale. Also, from Vanier's business forms manufacturing
     business which the Company sold on December 31, 1996, the Company recorded
     revenues of $130.3 million and after tax earnings (expressed net of the
     loss on the Vanier Sale, that part of the restructuring charge that related
     to Vanier and interest income that would have been earned had the Vanier
     Sale proceeds been invested in money market instruments throughout 1996) of
     $2.1 million, or $0.13 per share, for 1996. Without the restructuring
     charge, the gains on related realty sales, the Vanier Sale loss and the
     business' revenues and earnings contribution, 1996 would have shown
     revenues of $501.3 million and net income of $23.5 million or $1.43 per
     share.



                                       7
<PAGE>   8


                                   SIGNATURES

   Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
   Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed
   on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

                  AMERICAN BUSINESS PRODUCTS, INC. (Registrant)

   Date: July 23, 1997          \s\ Richard G. Smith
                                ---------------------
                                Richard G. Smith
                                Vice President-Finance
                                and Chief Financial Officer
                                [duly authorized officer
                                and principal financial officer]



                                       8