Postpress consists of supplementary operations to printing: binding, finishing, and distribution:
    Binding: work required to convert printed sheets into books, magazines, catalogs, and folders
    Finishing: operations to make displays, folding cartons and boxes, tags, labels, greeting cards, special packaging and advertising materials
    Distribution: processes, facilities, and means used to handle, package, and ship printed products to the customer

Binding processes:
    Pamphlet Binding: folders, booklets, magazines, catalogs
    Scoring: crease in a sheet of heavyweight paper to facilitate folding, those that produce an embossed ridge on the paper will give good folding results. The fold should be made with the hinge or ridge on the inside for minimum stretch
    Folding: paper is folded on a buckle, rollers force the sheet into an adjustable fold-plate, sheet hits a stop at the fold-plate, buckles, and is carried between rollers which fold the sheet. Parallel and right angle folds.
    Gathering/Collating: single sheets are collated, folded sheets are gathered
    Stitching: after signatures are collated, they can be saddle stitched. Book is placed on a saddle beneath stitching head and staples are forced through the spine.  Simplest and cheapest form of stitching. Booklets will like flat.  Most booklets, programs, and catalogs are saddle stitched.
    Cutting: Guillotine cutters have a single knife and are used to cut labels, paper…
    Trimming: usually done with 3 knives in a single cycle

Bookbinding: binding a book; edition binding, perfect binding, mechanical binding
    Edition Binding: (hardcover) 2 methods to bind bookblocks together
    Sewing: individual signatures are sewn through the fold into a bookblock and then receive an adhesive coating on the backbone. Open flat and offer best durability.
    Adhesive: One or Two Shot Burst, Notch, Threadseal binding adhesives

Perfect Binding: (softcover) sheets are held together by flexible adhesive, one or two shot Polyurethane

Mechanical Binding: (manuals and notebooks) Books which must open flat. Sheets are punched with a series of holes on binding edge, then wire, plastic coils, or rings are inserted.

Finishing
    Embossing: The image is molded in embossing so it is raised in relief. Process is to press the material between a brass female die and a male bed
    Diecutting: 2 methods:
        High or Hollow Diecutting: (labels and envelopes) Hollow like a cookie-cutter positioned on a pile of paper and pressure forces the die through the sheets.
        Steel-rule Diecutting: (larger sized dies and close register) steel rules bent to desired shape placed in jigsawed gaps in plywood dieboards. The multiple dies are locked into a chase. They are positioned and made ready on a platen diecutting press.
    Shrink-packaging: used to wrap printed pieces. Product is inserted into a roll of polyethylene film which is heat-sealed around the product. Then the shrink tunnel shrinks the film tightly around the product.

Distribution: mailing and distribution are important functions of postpress process. The distribution process is currently expensive and inadequate.