About Bookbinding Services

Bookbinding is the process of combining printed sheets into books, magazines, catalogs, folders, and directories.  After printing, the material is folded, glued, stitched, stapled, and trimmed.  Workers who set up, operate, and maintain the bookbinding machines are called bindery workers; workers who perform highly skilled hand-finishing operations are called bookbinders.

The duties of a bindery worker or bookbinder vary depending on the project.  Leaflets and newsletters may contain only one step, while books and magazines require several steps.  Books and magazines are assembled from large flat printed sheets of paper that are then folded into groups of pages arranged sequentially, known as "signatures."  The signatures are assembled and joined together by a saddle-stitch process or perfect binding, which uses no stitches.  Bookbinders working in hand binderies may sew, stitch, glue, or otherwise repair rare books, and shape book bodies with presses and trimming machines.  They may also design special bindings for limited editions.

With the advent of mechanical binding, hand binderies are becoming a rare business.  Most bindery workers and bookbinders work in mechanical binderies.  Those working at small shops may be proficient in a number of tasks, while workers in large shops may only concentrate on one or two specialty tasks.

Binderies are noisy work environments, and the work of a bookbinder requires much repetition, lifting, standing, and carrying.  Bindery workers should be detail-oriented and possess mechanical aptitude.  Accuracy, patience, neatness, good eyesight, and manual dexterity are also key.

Most training is received on the job, but more formal training becomes necessary as new technology arises.  On average, it takes one to three months to learn a simpler binding machine, but up to a year to learn to operate more complex equipment in a bindery.  Apprenticeship programs may be available for interns to learn by working alongside an experienced bookbinder.

Bookbinder and bindery worker positions are projected to decline as advertising shifts from print to electronic media, but skilled, specialized bindery workers will still be in demand.  Job prospects will be the best for workers who have completed certification programs or internships.  For more information about bookbinding education and employment opportunities, visit Printing Industries of America, the Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing, and Converting Technologies, or the National Association of Printing Leadership.