SOC 51-5113.00

    Print Binding and Finishing Workers

    Bind books and other publications or finish printed products by hand or machine.

    Median pay
    $42,290
    Growth
    -17.5%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    2,300
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $32,220
    Median
    $42,290
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $59,150
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    33,180 people work in this occupation.

    What print binding and finishing workers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

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

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    74 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    3 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    17 / 100
    Social (S)
    8 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    4 / 100
    Conventional (C) · strongest
    75 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code CRA. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Controlling Machines and Processes
    82
    Getting Information
    80
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    80
    Handling and Moving Objects
    76
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    73
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    69
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    68
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    66
    Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
    65
    Performing General Physical Activities
    65
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Administration and Management
    • Production and Processing
    • Mechanical
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Mathematics
    • Administrative
    • Education and Training
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Sales and Marketing

    Abilities

    • Finger Dexterity
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Speech Clarity
    • Visualization

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Perseverance
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Integrity
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Self-Control
    • Cooperation
    • Self-Confidence

    Also called

    Bander · Binder · Binder Operator · Bindery Associate · Bindery Cutter · Bindery Cutter Operator · Bindery Folder Operator · Bindery Machine Operator · Bindery Machine Set-Up Operator · Bindery Machine Setter

    Your plan

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    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.