These highly skilled workers design original or special bindings for limited editions or restore and rebind rare books. The work requires creativity, knowledge of binding materials, and a thorough background in the history of binding. Hand bookbinding gives individuals the opportunity to work at the greatest variety of jobs. Bindery workers in small shops may perform many binding tasks, while those in large shops are usually assigned only one or a few operations, such as operating complicated papercutters or folding machines. Others specialize in adjusting and preparing equipment, and may when necessary perform minor repairs.
Bookbinders assemble books from large, flat, printed sheets of paper.
Working Conditions Binderies are often noisy and jobs can be fairly strenuous, requiring considerable lifting, standing, and carrying. They may also require stooping, kneeling, and crouching. Binding often resembles an assembly line, and workers should not mind performing repetitive tasks. In 1992, bindery workers held about 76,000 jobs, including over 7,700 working as skilled bookbinders and nearly 68,000 working as lesser skilled bindery machine operators. Although some bindery workers are employed by large libraries and book publishers, the majority of jobs are in commercial printing plants.