Career change as a bookbinder

Career change paths

• Work planner at a print shop

  Also: Dispatcher for finishing and shipping

  With on-the-job training

  In work planning you plan machine allocation, material and staff, coordinate deadlines with printing and shipping and react to rush jobs.

  What you bring:

  You know how long folding, binding and packing take and which jobs can be combined on which machines.

  How to get there:

  You move from production into work planning with a few weeks to months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), often after some years in the company. Confident use of a PC and planning software is expected. You add business basics through courses at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or the associations of the printing and media industry.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office

  €4,873gross per monthMedian salary

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• Machine operator in folding carton production

  Also: Packaging technologist

  With on-the-job training

  In packaging production you operate die-cutting, folding and gluing machines, make folding cartons or corrugated board packaging and check dimensions and gluing.

  What you bring:

  You set up cutting, folding and gluing machines and know paper, cardboard and grain direction.

  How to get there:

  Packaging manufacturers usually give machine operators from print finishing a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), and shift work is usual. A qualification of your own comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as a packaging technologist (Packmitteltechnologe/Packmitteltechnologin), which takes 3 years. After at least 4.5 years of suitable work experience the external exam (Externenprüfung) is also possible; the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) decides whether your work counts.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact

  €3,673gross per monthMedian salary

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• Machine operator, packaging in the pharmaceutical industry

  Also: Machine and plant operator in the food industry

  With on-the-job training

  In pharmaceutical, cosmetics or food businesses you run packaging and labeling lines, retool them for new products and document batches under strict hygiene rules.

  What you bring:

  You are used to setting up fast machine lines, changing formats and checking quality continuously.

  How to get there:

  You get a few weeks of on-the-job training on the line (Einarbeitung), in the pharmaceutical industry with training on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). A qualification comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as a machine and plant operator (Maschinen- und Anlagenführer/Maschinen- und Anlagenführerin), which takes 2 years. After at least 3 years of suitable practice, you can also take the external exam (Externenprüfung); the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) decides whether your work counts.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact

  €3,941gross per monthMedian salary

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• Quality inspector in the printing and packaging industry

  Also: Employee in quality assurance

  With on-the-job training

  In quality assurance you check samples and the running production, measure and document results, handle complaints and train colleagues.

  What you bring:

  You immediately recognize errors such as wrong folding, cutting deviations or poor gluing and know the quality requirements for printed products.

  How to get there:

  You get on-the-job training in quality assurance (Einarbeitung), often after some years in production. Courses in quality management and testing methods at chambers and training providers usually take a few days to weeks. This is in demand mainly in packaging and label production for food and pharmaceutical customers, where inspections are strictly documented.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsShift workLittle customer contact

  €3,711gross per monthMedian salary

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• Signage technician

  Also: Sign and illuminated advertising maker

  With on-the-job training

  In signage technology you finish large-format prints, laminate signs and boards, plot films and apply lettering at customers' premises.

  What you bring:

  You cut, laminate and process paper, cardboard and films precisely and work cleanly to size.

  How to get there:

  Signage businesses usually give specialists from print finishing a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), and you learn wrapping and installation in the company or in manufacturer courses. A qualification of your own comes from vocational training (Ausbildung) as a sign and illuminated advertising maker (Schilder- und Lichtreklamehersteller/Schilder- und Lichtreklameherstellerin), which takes 3 years. Work on ladders and aerial work platforms is often part of the job.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically demanding

  €3,117gross per monthMedian salary

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• Sample maker for packaging

  Also: CAD designer for folding cartons

  With on-the-job training

  In packaging development you design folding cartons and displays on the computer, cut samples on the cutting plotter and coordinate designs with customers and production.

  What you bring:

  You know cardboard, creasing, folding and gluing from practice and are very exact with dimensions.

  How to get there:

  Packaging manufacturers move specialists from print finishing and bookbinding into the sample department, usually with a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) and training on the design software at the software provider. Jobs exist, for example, at larger folding carton and corrugated board manufacturers.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,717gross per monthMedian salary

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• Warehouse clerk

  Also: Warehouse logistics specialist

  With on-the-job training

  In the warehouse of an industrial or retail business you receive goods, put them into storage, pick orders, prepare shipments and keep stock up to date in the warehouse management system.

  What you bring:

  You know assembly, packaging and shipping of printed products from print finishing and work reliably to job deadlines.

  How to get there:

  Warehouses and logistics centers usually give career changers a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung), and you can earn the forklift license in a course of a few days. Without a warehouse qualification you often start in a helper job, which can be a step back for trained bookbinders and media technologists. You can earn the qualification as a warehouse operative (Fachlagerist/Fachlageristin) through the external exam (Externenprüfung) after 3 years of warehouse practice, and as a warehouse logistics specialist (Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik) after 4.5 years; retraining (Umschulung) is faster. A move into shipping and warehouse of your own print shop is often also possible.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €3,235gross per monthMedian salary

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• Certified industrial foreman, print media

  Also: Shift supervisor in print finishing

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a shift supervisor or master craftsperson (Meister) you plan jobs and staff, ensure quality and delivery dates and train new staff.

  What you bring:

  You know folding, cutting, perfect binding and saddle stitching machines and know how printed sheets, material and deadlines work together in print finishing.

  How to get there:

  You take further training as a certified industrial foreman, specialization print media (Geprüfter Industriemeister Fachrichtung Printmedien), at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), usually about 2 years alongside work, and it can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). With a qualification in the printing and media industry, for example as a print finishing media technologist (Medientechnologe/Medientechnologin Druckverarbeitung), you are admitted directly; with another training occupation, after one year of work experience; without a vocational qualification, after 4 years of work experience related to foreman tasks.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workLittle customer contact
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• Industrial mechanic in maintenance

  Also: Service technician for print finishing machines

  With retraining

  In maintenance or service you service and repair production systems, remove and install assemblies and keep machines ready for operation.

  What you bring:

  You adjust machines mechanically, replace wearing parts and find the causes of faults on folders, knives and conveyor belts.

  How to get there:

  You reach the qualification as an industrial mechanic (Industriemechaniker/Industriemechanikerin) through retraining (Umschulung), which usually takes a good 2 years. The Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) or the Jobcenter fund it mainly if you do not yet have a vocational qualification or can no longer find work in your occupation. Some companies also deploy experienced machine operators in maintenance without a new qualification and qualify them through courses in mechanics, pneumatics and hydraulics.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically demandingLittle customer contact

  €4,563gross per monthMedian salary

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Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.