Books Printing
Description
Establishments in the publishing industry primarily function as printing and printing and binding books and pamphlets without publishing. These facilities transform digital files or physical manuscripts into tangible copies distributed to consumers. Their core activities involve the complete sequence of converting text and images into print-ready formats, operating large offset press machines for high-volume orders, performing digital printing for customized or short-run projects, and executing binding services such as perfect binding, hardcover binding, and saddle stitching. A diverse range of operators exist within this sector, including large corporate print shops affiliated with major publishers, independent commercial printing firms specializing in specific formats, and regional bookbinders serving local libraries and educational institutions. The industry operates on a continuous cycle where design agencies prepare layouts, these firms handle the actual printing and binding processes, and logistics teams manage the distribution of finished books to retailers, bookstores, and institutions. The scope of operations varies significantly in scale, from small family-owned businesses handling hundreds of units to massive industrial complexes capable of processing millions of copies annually. This sector remains a critical link in the book supply chain, ensuring that intellectual content reaches the public through reliable and efficient manufacturing methods that balance cost-effectiveness with quality preservation.
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Manufacturing 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Manufacturing sector comprises establishments engaged in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products. The assembling of component parts of manufactured products is considered manufacturing, except in cases where the activity is appropriately classified in Sector 23, Construction. Establishments in the Manufacturing sector are often described as plants, factories, or mills and characteristically use power-driven machines and material handling equipment. However, establishments that transform materials or substances into new products by hand or in the worker's home and those engaged in selling to the general public products made on the same premises from which they are sold, such as bakeries, candy stores, and custom tailors, may also be included in this sector. Manufacturing establishments may process materials or may contract with other establishments to process their materials for them. Both types of establishments are included in manufacturing. Selected industries in the Manufacturing sector are comprised solely of establishments that process materials for other establishments on a contract or fee basis. Beyond these dedicated contract manufacturing industries, establishments that process materials for other establishments are generally classified in the Manufacturing industry of the processed materials. The materials, substances, or components transformed by manufacturing establishments are raw materials that are products of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, or quarrying as well as products of other manufacturing establishments. The materials used may be purchased directly from producers, obtained through customary trade channels, or secured without recourse to the market by transferring the product from one establishment to another, under the same ownership. The new product of a manufacturing establishment may be finished in the sense that it is ready for utilization or consumption, or it may be semi-finished to become an input for an establishment engaged in further manufacturing. For example, the product of the alumina refinery is the input used in the primary production of aluminum; primary aluminum is the input to an aluminum wire drawing plant; and aluminum wire is the input for a fabricated wire product manufacturing establishment. The subsectors in the Manufacturing sector generally reflect distinct production processes related to material inputs, production equipment, and employee skills. In the machinery area, where assembling is a key activity, parts and accessories for manufactured products are classified in the industry of the finished manufactured item when they are made for separate sale. For example, an attachment for a piece of metalworking machinery would be classified with metalworking machinery. However, component inputs from other manufacturing establishments are classified based on the production function of the component manufacturer. For example, electronic components are classified in Subsector 334, Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing, and stampings are classified in Subsector 332, Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing. Manufacturing establishments often perform one or more activities that are classified outside the Manufacturing sector of NAICS. For instance, almost all manufacturing has some captive research and development or administrative operations, such as accounting, payroll, or management. These captive services are treated the same as captive manufacturing activities. When the services are provided by separate establishments, they are classified in the NAICS sector where such services are primary, not in manufacturing. The boundaries of manufacturing and the other sectors of the classification system can be somewhat blurry. The establishments in the Manufacturing sector are engaged in the transformation of materials into new products. Their output is a new product. However, the definition of what constitutes a new product can be somewhat subjective. As clarification, the following activities are considered manufacturing in NAICS: <table width=100%><tr><td width=10%> </td><td><dl><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Milk bottling and pasteurizing;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Water bottling and processing;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Fresh fish packaging (oyster<br/> shucking, fish filleting);</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Apparel jobbing (assigning<br/> materials to contract<br/> factories or shops for<br/> fabrication or other contract<br/> operations) as well as<br/> contracting on materials<br/> owned by others;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Printing and related activities;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Ready-mix concrete production;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Leather converting;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Grinding lenses to<br/> prescription;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Wood preserving;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Lapidary work for the trade;</dt></dl></td><td width=10%> </td><td><dl><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Electroplating, plating, metal<br/> heat treating, and<br/> polishing for the trade;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Fabricating signs and<br/> advertising displays;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Rebuilding or remanufacturing<br/> machinery (i.e., automotive<br/> parts);</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Making manufactured homes<br/> (i.e., mobile homes) or<br/> prefabricated buildings,<br/> whether or not assembling/<br/> erecting at the customers'<br/> site;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Ship repair and renovation;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Machine shops; and</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Tire retreading.</dt></dl></td><td width=10%> </td></tr></table> Conversely, there are activities that are sometimes considered manufacturing, but which for NAICS are classified in another sector (i.e., not classified as manufacturing). They include: 1. Logging, classified in Sector 11, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, is considered a harvesting operation; 2. Beneficiating ores and other minerals, classified in Sector 21, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction, is considered part of the activity of mining; 3. Constructing structures, assembling prefabricated buildings, and fabricating at the construction site by contractors are classified in Sector 23, Construction; 4. Breaking bulk and reselling in smaller lots, including packaging, repackaging, or bottling products, such as liquors or chemicals; assembling and selling computers on a custom basis; sorting and reselling scrap; mixing and selling paints to customer order; and cutting metals to customer order for resale are classified in Sector 42, Wholesale Trade, or Sector 44-45, Retail Trade; and 5. Publishing and the combined activity of publishing and printing, classified in Sector 51, Information, transform information into a product for which the value to the consumer lies in the information content, not in the format in which it is distributed (i.e., the book or software compact disc). |
| 323 | Printing and Related Support Activities 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Printing and Related Support Activities subsector print products, such as newspapers, books, labels, business cards, stationery, business forms, and other materials, and perform support activities, such as data imaging, platemaking services, and bookbinding. The support activities included here are an integral part of the printing industry, and a product (a printing plate, a bound book, or a computer disk or file) that is an integral part of the printing industry is almost always provided by these operations. Processes used in printing include a variety of methods used to transfer an image from a plate, screen, film, or computer file to some medium, such as paper, plastics, metal, textile articles, or wood. The printing processes employed include, but are not limited to, lithographic, gravure, screen, flexographic, digital, and letterpress. In contrast to many other classification systems that locate publishing of printed materials in manufacturing, NAICS classifies the publishing of printed products in Subsector 513, Publishing Industries. Though printing and publishing are often carried out by the same enterprise, it is less and less the case that these distinct activities are carried out in the same establishment. When publishing and printing are done in the same establishment, the establishment is classified in Subsector 513, Publishing Industries, in the appropriate NAICS industry even if the receipts for printing exceed those for publishing. This subsector includes printing on clothing because the production process for that activity is printing, not clothing manufacturing. For instance, the printing of T-shirts is included in this subsector. In contrast, printing on fabric (or grey goods) is not included. This activity is part of the process of finishing the fabric and is included in Industry 31331, Textile and Fabric Finishing Mills. Excluded from this subsector are establishment primarily engaged in manufacturing bare printed circuit boards. These establishments print, perforate, plate, screen, etch, or photoprint interconnecting pathways for electric current on laminates and are classified in Industry 33441, Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing. Establishments primarily providing printing brokerage services are classified in Industry 56199, All Other Support Services. |
| 3231 | Printing and Related Support Activities 4-digit industry group | Industries in the Printing and Related Support Activities subsector print products, such as newspapers, books, labels, business cards, stationery, business forms, and other materials, and perform support activities, such as data imaging, platemaking services, and bookbinding. The support activities included here are an integral part of the printing industry, and a product (a printing plate, a bound book, or a computer disk or file) that is an integral part of the printing industry is almost always provided by these operations. Processes used in printing include a variety of methods used to transfer an image from a plate, screen, film, or computer file to some medium, such as paper, plastics, metal, textile articles, or wood. The printing processes employed include, but are not limited to, lithographic, gravure, screen, flexographic, digital, and letterpress. In contrast to many other classification systems that locate publishing of printed materials in manufacturing, NAICS classifies the publishing of printed products in Subsector 513, Publishing Industries. Though printing and publishing are often carried out by the same enterprise, it is less and less the case that these distinct activities are carried out in the same establishment. When publishing and printing are done in the same establishment, the establishment is classified in Subsector 513, Publishing Industries, in the appropriate NAICS industry even if the receipts for printing exceed those for publishing. This subsector includes printing on clothing because the production process for that activity is printing, not clothing manufacturing. For instance, the printing of T-shirts is included in this subsector. In contrast, printing on fabric (or grey goods) is not included. This activity is part of the process of finishing the fabric and is included in Industry 31331, Textile and Fabric Finishing Mills. Excluded from this subsector are establishment primarily engaged in manufacturing bare printed circuit boards. These establishments print, perforate, plate, screen, etch, or photoprint interconnecting pathways for electric current on laminates and are classified in Industry 33441, Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing. Establishments primarily providing printing brokerage services are classified in Industry 56199, All Other Support Services. |
| 32311 | Printing 5-digit NAICS industry | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in printing on apparel and textile products, paper, metal, glass, plastics, and other materials, except fabric (grey goods). The printing processes employed include, but are not limited to, lithographic, gravure, screen, flexographic, digital, and letterpress. Establishments in this industry do not manufacture the stock that they print, but may perform postprinting activities, such as folding, cutting, or laminating the materials they print, and mailing. |
| 323117 | Books Printing 6-digit U.S. detail | Establishments in the publishing industry primarily function as printing and printing and binding books and pamphlets without publishing. These facilities transform digital files or physical manuscripts into tangible copies distributed to consumers. Their core activities involve the complete sequence of converting text and images into print-ready formats, operating large offset press machines for high-volume orders, performing digital printing for customized or short-run projects, and executing binding services such as perfect binding, hardcover binding, and saddle stitching. A diverse range of operators exist within this sector, including large corporate print shops affiliated with major publishers, independent commercial printing firms specializing in specific formats, and regional bookbinders serving local libraries and educational institutions. The industry operates on a continuous cycle where design agencies prepare layouts, these firms handle the actual printing and binding processes, and logistics teams manage the distribution of finished books to retailers, bookstores, and institutions. The scope of operations varies significantly in scale, from small family-owned businesses handling hundreds of units to massive industrial complexes capable of processing millions of copies annually. This sector remains a critical link in the book supply chain, ensuring that intellectual content reaches the public through reliable and efficient manufacturing methods that balance cost-effectiveness with quality preservation. |
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Classification References
- 01Printing and publishing, known as publishers--are classified in Subsector 513, Publishing Industries; and
- 02Binding books without printing in the same establishment--are classified in Industry 323120, Support Activities for Printing.
Index Items
Almanacs printing and binding without publishing
Almanacs printing without publishing
Books printing and binding without publishing
Books printing without publishing
Dictionaries printing and binding without publishing
Dictionaries printing without publishing
Encyclopedias printing and binding without publishing
Encyclopedias printing without publishing
Fiction books printing and binding without publishing
Fiction books printing without publishing
Music books printing or printing and binding without publishing
Nonfiction books printing and binding without publishing
Nonfiction books printing without publishing
Pamphlets printing and binding without publishing
Pamphlets printing without publishing
Printing and binding books without publishing
Printing books without publishing
Professional books printing and binding without publishing
Professional books printing without publishing
Religious books printing and binding without publishing
Religious books printing without publishing
School books printing and binding without publishing
School books printing without publishing
Technical manuals and papers (books) printing and binding without publishing
Technical manuals and papers (books) printing without publishing
Textbooks printing and binding without publishing
Textbooks printing without publishing
Travel guide books printing and binding without publishing
Travel guide books printing without publishing
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External Resources
Official Census Bureau Industry Detail
The U.S. Bureau of the Census official page defining the NAICS 323117 industry scope and classification details.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Statistical Tables
A comprehensive PDF report from the BLS detailing employment and production statistics specifically for the books printing sector.
SBA Small Business Economic Indicators
The Small Business Administration provides data and resources on manufacturing statistics, including sub-sectors like books printing.
