---
title: "Print Binding and Finishing Worker"
description: "Bind books and other publications or finish printed products by hand or machine. May set up binding and finishing machines."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/print-binding-and-finishing-worker"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Print Binding and Finishing Worker

**Category:** Production · **SOC code:** 51-5113 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 51-5113.00

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

Also advertised as: Binder Operator; Bindery Operator; Bindery Technician; Bindery Worker; Book Binder; Custom Bookbinder; Perfect Binder Operator.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $42,290 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $20.33/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $32,220 to $59,150, with the middle half between $36,910 and $49,130
- **Total US employment:** 33,180
- **Typical entry education:** High school
- **Preparation required:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** -17.5% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 2,300 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 52/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 33,180 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $32,220 |
| 25th | $36,910 |
| 50th (median) | $42,290 |
| 75th | $49,130 |
| 90th | $59,150 |
| Mean (average) | $44,460 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DC | $108,080 | $98,343 | 200 |
| MS | $91,850 | $105,632 | 110 |
| AK | $57,200 | $55,882 | 30 |
| VT | $48,930 | $49,950 | 80 |
| NH | $48,850 | $46,897 | 140 |
| ND | $48,760 | $54,812 | 80 |
| MN | $48,390 | $49,067 | 1,710 |
| ME | $48,230 | $49,696 | 180 |
| IL | $47,880 | $47,900 | 1,540 |
| CT | $47,750 | $46,086 | 490 |
| MA | $46,630 | $44,092 | 750 |
| NJ | $46,600 | $42,829 | 1,640 |
| OR | $46,240 | $44,736 | 240 |
| CO | $45,780 | $44,424 | 370 |
| CA | $45,390 | $40,995 | 1,590 |

36 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 51 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/print-binding-and-finishing-worker/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/print-binding-and-finishing-worker.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 32,300 in the 2025–2035 base year to 26,600 by the end of the cycle — a loss of 5,600 jobs, or -17.5%. Declining: -17.5% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 2,300 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** High school diploma or equivalent (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Moderate-term on-the-job training.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 87.9% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 4.4% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 3.8% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 2.8% |
| Some College Courses | 1.2% |

## What the work involves

- Read work orders to determine instructions and specifications for machine set-up.
- Trim edges of books to size, using cutting machines, book trimming machines, or hand cutters.
- Lubricate, clean, or make minor repairs to machine parts to keep machines in working condition.
- 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.
- 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.
- Maintain records, such as daily production records, using specified forms.
- Set up or operate glue machines by filling glue reservoirs, turning switches to activate heating elements, or adjusting glue flow or conveyor speed.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Critical Thinking — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Operations Monitoring — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Quality Control Analysis — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Instructing — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operation and Control — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Equipment Maintenance — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Administration and Management — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Production and Processing — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mechanical — importance 3.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Customer and Personal Service — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematics — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Finger Dexterity — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Near Vision — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Comprehension — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Expression — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Arm-Hand Steadiness — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Conventional (C), Realistic (R).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| C — Conventional | 5.49 |
| R — Realistic | 5.44 |
| A — Artistic | 2.05 |
| S — Social | 1.47 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.23 |
| I — Investigative | 1.20 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 86.4 |
| ISFJ | 79.9 |
| ESTJ | 73.9 |
| ISTP | 67.3 |
| ESFJ | 60.3 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ. The bank also flags this occupation as introvert-friendly, meaning O\*NET work-context ratings put it low on public contact and performing for the public.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/paper-goods-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $50,270
- [Cutting and Slicing Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cutting-and-slicing-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $46,570
- [Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/adhesive-bonding-machine-operator-and-tender) — median $46,460
- [Sewing Machine Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/sewing-machine-operator) — median $36,670
- [Textile Cutting Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/textile-cutting-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $38,760
- [Machine Feeder and Offbearer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/machine-feeder-and-offbearer) — median $41,220
- [Printing Press Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/printing-press-operator) — median $45,780
- [Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/grinding-lapping-polishing-and-buffing-machine-tool-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $46,550
- [Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Except Sawing](https://nuecareer.com/careers/woodworking-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $43,380
- [Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cutting-punching-and-press-machine-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $46,330

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/print-binding-and-finishing-worker