A professional who tends machine that sews sheets of gathered and collated signatures and sews signatures into book form preparatory to binding. Responsibilities include:

• Threads needles, adjusts machine bed to width of signatures, sets feed arms for size of signatures, and passes tape through guides, following written instructions.
• Opens signature and places it over feed arm.
• Depresses pedal to revolve feed arm, sew signature, and present another arm in feeding position (signature is released from arm after sewing and positioned for sewing to next signature).
• Places signatures in succession on feed arms, depressing pedal to sew individual signatures and to stitch sewed signatures together.
• Stops machine when delivery table is full.
• Cuts stitching holding books together, and stacks separated books.
• May stitch or fasten endpapers or linings to first and last signatures of books.
• May stitch signatures and apply glue along binding edge of first and last signatures to reinforce binding of book bodies.
• May specialize in stitching cut or shaved spine of books preparatory to rebinding for resale or reuse.
• May be known by type of book stitched and be designated blankbook-stitching-machine operator i.