Bindery Operator

Imprint or emboss lettering, designs, or numbers on book covers, using gold, silver, or colored foil, and stamping machines.

Prepare finished books for shipping by wrapping or packing books and stacking boxes on pallets.

Cut binder boards to specified dimensions, using board shears, hand cutters, or cutting machines.

Cut cover material to specified dimensions, fitting and gluing material to binder boards by hand or machine.

Read work orders to determine instructions and specifications for machine set-up.

Set up or operate machines that perform binding operations, such as pressing, folding, or trimming.

Design original or special bindings for limited editions or other custom binding projects.

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.

Form book bodies by folding and sewing printed sheets to form signatures and assembling signatures in numerical order.

Punch holes in and fasten paper sheets, signatures, or other material, using hand or machine punches and staplers.

Perform highly skilled hand finishing binding operations, such as grooving or lettering.

Set up or operate bindery machines, such as coil binders, thermal or tape binders, plastic comb binders, or specialty binders.

Monitor machine operations to detect malfunctions or to determine whether adjustments are needed.

Compress sewed or glued signatures, using hand presses or smashing machines.

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.

Trim edges of books to size, using cutting machines, book trimming machines, or hand cutters.

Apply color to edges of signatures using brushes, pads, or atomizers.

Repair, restore, or rebind old, rare, or damaged books, using hand tools.

Bind new books, using hand tools such as bone folders, knives, hammers, or brass binding tools.

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.

Meet with clients, printers, or designers to discuss job requirements or binding plans.

Train workers to set up, operate, and use automatic bindery machines.

Set up or operate glue machines by filling glue reservoirs, turning switches to activate heating elements, or adjusting glue flow or conveyor speed.

Maintain records, such as daily production records, using specified forms.