How To Become A Saddle Stitch Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a saddle stitch operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a saddle stitch operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.17 an hour? That's $39,879 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSaddle Stitch OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,879

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 8.87%

Black or African American 8.13%

Hispanic or Latino 16.42%

Unknown 4.19%

White 61.87%

Gender

female 14.43%

male 85.57%

Age - 53

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 53

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a saddle stitch operator

Explore saddle stitch operator education requirements

Most common saddle stitch operator degrees

High School Diploma

60.6 %

Bachelor's

21.2 %

Associate

12.1 %

Start to develop specific saddle stitch operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Routine Maintenance	22.43%
Quality Products	19.22%
Troubleshoot	17.18%
Inkjet	17.16%
Stitching	7.51%

Complete relevant saddle stitch operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New saddle stitch operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a saddle stitch operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real saddle stitch operator resumes.

Research saddle stitch operator duties and responsibilities

Manage mail heads, stackers and print pockets and train crew members on same.
Complete finishing services including binding, cutting, gathering, stapling, stitching, trimming, gluing.
Handle specific orders with case binding, saddle stitching, hand stitching, perfect binders, and other bindery operations
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.

Prepare your saddle stitch operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your saddle stitch operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a saddle stitch operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable saddle stitch operator resume templates

Build a professional saddle stitch operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your saddle stitch operator resume.