Print Binding and Finishing Workers

Bind books and other publications or finish printed products by hand or machine. May set up binding and finishing machines.

Explore jobs with pay Build a hiring range Share your compensation

MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES

A wage reference for United States.

Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.

Source wage group: Print Binding and Finishing Workers

This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Print Binding and Finishing Workers. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.

May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.

Median annual wage$42,290USD per year · Published 50th percentile

Median hourly wage$20.33USD per hour · Published 50th percentile

Annual wage thresholds

USD per year

Hourly wage thresholds

USD per hour

Published occupational wage percentiles · United States · May 2025
Percentile	Annual wage (USD/year)	Hourly wage (USD/hour)
10th	$32,220	$15.49
25th	$36,910	$17.75
50th · Median	$42,290	$20.33
75th	$49,130	$23.62
90th	$59,150	$28.44

“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.

Official wage context Official source data How to read percentiles

PUT A WAGE IN CONTEXT

Where does your number sit?

Compare an entered wage with the published thresholds for United States. Your entry stays on this page.

This compares wage amounts to published percentile thresholds. It does not estimate your personal percentile, adjust for your experience, or compare total compensation. Match the wage definition and occupation group before using the result.

THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE

What this career involves.

Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.

Selected title examples

BanderBinderBinder OperatorBindery AssociateBindery CutterBindery Cutter OperatorBindery Folder OperatorBindery Machine OperatorBindery Machine Set-Up OperatorBindery Machine SetterBindery Machine TenderBindery Operator

Expand more title examples (48)

Bindery SpecialistBindery TechnicianBindery WorkerBook BinderBook CovererBook CutterBook FinisherBook MenderBook RepairerBook SewerBook Sewing Machine OperatorBookbinderBookbinding Machine OperatorBookmakerBooks BinderCase Binder OperatorCaserCasing in Line SetterCollating Machine OperatorCopy and Print AssociateCovering Machine OperatorCustom BookbinderCutterFinisherFinishing Machine OperatorFinishing OperatorFoil Stamp OperatorFolder Gluer OperatorFolder OperatorFolding Machine OperatorFolding Machine SetterGathering Machine SetterHand Bindery Assembly WorkerKnife OperatorLiner OperatorMachine OperatorMagazine RepairerPaperback Machine OperatorPerfect Binder OperatorPerfect Binder SetterPrint Binding and Finishing WorkerPrint Binding WorkerPrint Finishing WorkerRounding and Backing Machine OperatorSaddle and Side Wire StitcherSaddle Stitch OperatorSaddle Stitcher OperatorSaddle Stitching Machine Operator

Typical tasks

Examine stitched, collated, bound, or unbound product samples for defects, such as imperfect bindings, ink spots, torn pages, loose pages, or loose or uncut threads.
Read work orders to determine instructions and specifications for machine set-up.
Install or adjust bindery machine devices, such as knives, guides, rollers, rounding forms, creasing rams, or clamps, to accommodate sheets, signatures, or books of specified sizes.
Trim edges of books to size, using cutting machines, book trimming machines, or hand cutters.
Stitch or glue endpapers, bindings, backings, or signatures, using sewing machines, glue machines, or glue and brushes.
Monitor machine operations to detect malfunctions or to determine whether adjustments are needed.

Expand more tasks (19)

Maintain records, such as daily production records, using specified forms.
Lubricate, clean, or make minor repairs to machine parts to keep machines in working condition.
Set up or operate bindery machines, such as coil binders, thermal or tape binders, plastic comb binders, or specialty binders.
Set up or operate machines that perform binding operations, such as pressing, folding, or trimming.
Prepare finished books for shipping by wrapping or packing books and stacking boxes on pallets.
Set up or operate glue machines by filling glue reservoirs, turning switches to activate heating elements, or adjusting glue flow or conveyor speed.
Train workers to set up, operate, and use automatic bindery machines.
Insert book bodies in devices that form back edges of books into convex shapes and produce grooves that facilitate cover attachment.
Cut cover material to specified dimensions, fitting and gluing material to binder boards by hand or machine.
Cut binder boards to specified dimensions, using board shears, hand cutters, or cutting machines.
Bind new books, using hand tools such as bone folders, knives, hammers, or brass binding tools.
Perform highly skilled hand finishing binding operations, such as grooving or lettering.
Imprint or emboss lettering, designs, or numbers on book covers, using gold, silver, or colored foil, and stamping machines.
Compress sewed or glued signatures, using hand presses or smashing machines.
Meet with clients, printers, or designers to discuss job requirements or binding plans.
Form book bodies by folding and sewing printed sheets to form signatures and assembling signatures in numerical order.
Design original or special bindings for limited editions or other custom binding projects.
Punch holes in and fasten paper sheets, signatures, or other material, using hand or machine punches and staplers.
Repair, restore, or rebind old, rare, or damaged books, using hand tools.

Skills used in this work

Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Expand more skills (29)

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Installation: Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
Management of Financial Resources: Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Management of Material Resources: Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Programming: Writing computer programs for various purposes.
Technology Design: Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

FIND YOUR MARKET

Explore wages by location.

0 retained state and local wage references are available. Start with these selected locations, or search the full market directory for this career.

United States wage reference

Local wage references are not retained for this occupation. The national view and employer evidence may still help.

Browse all wage markets

Available links reflect retained source coverage for this career.

TURN CONTEXT INTO A NEXT STEP

Find the next step that fits.

Look at current disclosed job ranges, explore supported employer salary evidence, or build a proposed hiring range with your own assumptions.