The majority of jobs are in commercial printing plants. Opportunities for hand bookbinders are limited by the small number of establishments that do this highly specialized work. Binding involves cutting, folding, gathering, gluing, stapling, stitching, trimming, sewing, wrapping, and other finishing operations. Bindery workers operate and maintain the machines that perform these various tasks. Job duties depend on the kind of material being bound.
Job binding workers bind books produced in smaller quantities.
In firms specializing in library binding , workers repair books and provide other specialized binding services to libraries. Pamphlet binding workers produce leaflets and folders, and manifold binding workers bind business forms such as ledgers and books of sales receipts. Blankbook binding workers bind blank pages to produce notebooks, checkbooks, address books, diaries, calendars, and note pads. Some binding consists of only one step. Preparing leaflets or newspaper inserts, for example, requires only folding.