Occupations · Production
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-5113.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 38% between 2010 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $47,940 | 2,030 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $45,260 | 1,950 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $37,930 | 1,590 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | $39,430 | 1,370 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $48,370 | 1,300 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $43,320 | 760 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $39,490 | 710 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $44,740 | 660 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $51,640 | 660 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $37,440 | 640 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $45,940 | 490 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $38,890 | 480 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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.
- Insert book bodies in devices that form back edges of books into convex shapes and produce grooves that facilitate cover attachment.
- Monitor machine operations to detect malfunctions or to determine whether adjustments are needed.
- 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.
- Cut cover material to specified dimensions, fitting and gluing material to binder boards by hand or machine.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2015-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2015-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 1 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 4
No longer listed 2
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| paper stationery machine operator | 8171.7 | close |
| bindery operator | 7323.1 | broader |
| book-sewing machine operator | 7323.2 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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