500 East Luzerne Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 Call 215-634-7490  ·  info@completehandassembly.com
Contract Packaging · Kitting · Fulfillment

Our hands are your hands.

Hand assembly, contract packaging, and fulfillment done right — from 3PL kitting and cosmetic packing to shrink-wrapping, tipping, and mail preparation. When the job is odd, urgent, or exacting, it lands on our floor.

15+services under one roof
52"Lawson Pacemaker cutter
1call to get your quote started
What We Do

One-stop shopping for packaging & fulfillment

Whether it's padding, tipping, easeling, gluing or inserting — when you need to outsource hand assembly and packaging, we reduce your cost and hit your schedule. Creative and unusual requests are not a problem.

Kitting & Fulfillment

Multi-component kits, displays, and complete fulfillment programs that deliver on the most demanding schedules.

  • 3PL KittingMultiple SKUs, inserts, and literature brought together into one finished, ready-to-ship package.
  • Contract & Hand AssemblyKits and displays built by hand — for the jobs that need judgment, not just machinery.
  • Fulfillment & PackagingPacked out, palletized, and shipped on your schedule, even the demanding ones.
  • Rework ServicesMislabeled, re-pack, or fix-it jobs corrected fast and returned to sellable condition.

Packaging & Finishing

Retail-ready pack-out and protective finishing, from automatic polybagging to high-speed shrink lines.

  • Cosmetic PackingAppearance-critical products handled carefully and packed retail-ready.
  • High-Speed Shrink-WrappingSingles and multipacks wrapped tight and clean on a high-speed line.
  • PolybaggingAutomatic sealing for clean, protected, count-accurate bagging.
  • Tipping, Padding & EaselingGlue tipping, pads in any run size, and single- or double-wing easels.

Bindery & Mail Prep

Precision bindery work for the commercial printing industry, backed by decades of trade experience. Read our full bindery & finishing guide →

  • Mail PreparationInserted, sealed, and prepped so your mailing hits its drop date.
  • Cutting, Drilling & Collating52" Lawson Pacemaker cutter and 3-head Lawson drill — trade-quality precision.
  • InsertingPocket folders, binders, and envelopes filled accurately at volume.
  • Wafer Sealing, Eyeletting & GrommetingPerfed or non-perfed wafers in any size or color, plus metal finishing.
See It Done

Examples of our process

From cutting stock down to size to kits assembled by hand and packed ready to ship — here's how the work gets done.

Cutting & Padding52" Lawson Pacemaker
✓ PACKED
Kitting & Hand AssemblyComponents in → kits out
High-Speed Shrink-WrappingSealed tight
Glue Tipping & Hand GluingBonded by hand
Full Capability List

Full list of services

3PL Kitting Services
Cosmetic Packing
Mail Preparation
Rework Services
Cutting52" Lawson Pacemaker cutter
Paddinglarge or short run
Drilling3-head Lawson drill
Glue Tipping
Collatingbinders, folders
Insertingpocket folders, binders, envelopes
Kleenstik2-sided transfer tape
Hand Gluing & Tapingcapacity folders
Contract & Hand Assemblykits, displays
Fulfillment & Packaging
Eyeletting & Grommeting
Easelingsingle & double wing
Wafer Sealingperfed & non-perfed, any size or color
Polybaggingautomatic sealing
High-Speed Shrink-Wrapping
Why Complete Hand Assembly

The quality of our work sets us apart

We've provided high-quality bindery work, packaging, and fulfillment for decades. Modern equipment, expert service, and years of experience have made us the trusted partner printers, brands, and businesses call first — and keep calling.

How It Works

From your dock to done

STEP 01

Send us the job

Specs, samples, or just a rough idea — including the unusual ones.

STEP 02

Quote & schedule

A straight answer on cost and a realistic timeline, fast.

STEP 03

We run it

Hand or machine, checked as we go — quality is the whole point.

STEP 04

Ship or fulfill

Palletized, packed out, mailed, or fulfilled straight to your customer.

Who We Serve

Built for the trade — and for brands

Commercial printers who need a bindery and finishing partner they can put their name behind. Brands and businesses that need kitting, packing, and fulfillment handled start to finish. Agencies with a campaign that has to land on a date. If it needs hands, it's our kind of job.

TRADE

Commercial Printers

Cutting, drilling, collating, tipping, and finishing — overflow or full-service.

RETAIL

Brands & Products

Cosmetic packing, kitting, shrink-wrapping, and retail-ready pack-out.

DIRECT

Mailers & Campaigns

Inserting, wafer sealing, and mail preparation that hits the drop date.

3PL

Fulfillment Programs

Ongoing kitting and fulfillment — we become your packing department.

Bindery & Finishing

Bindery & Finishing Services in Philadelphia

Padding, drilling, glue tipping, collating, die cutting, and mounting — the finishing work Philadelphia print shops outsource so their presses keep running.

If you run a commercial print shop in Philadelphia, you already know the finishing work is where jobs get delayed. The printing is the easy part — it's the padding, drilling, gluing, and cutting afterward that eats up floor space, labor hours, and equipment budget you'd rather spend elsewhere.

What Counts as Bindery & Finishing Work

Bindery and finishing covers everything that happens to a printed piece after it comes off the press and before it ships. For most Philadelphia print shops, that means:

  • Cutting — precision trimming on our 52" Lawson Pacemaker cutter
  • Padding — large or short-run padding for notepads, forms, and order books
  • Drilling — multi-hole drilling on our 3-head Lawson drill for binders and manuals
  • Glue tipping — attaching inserts, samples, or reply cards to a printed page
  • Collating — assembling multi-page sets for binders and folders
  • Die cutting — custom shapes and pocket folders
  • Mounting — mounting printed sheets up to 40" for signage and displays

Most print shops handle one or two of these well. Almost none handle all of them — which is exactly why bindery finishing gets outsourced.

Why Philadelphia Print Shops Outsource Finishing Work

You keep your presses running. Every hour your equipment spends on finishing work is an hour it's not running the next print job.

You skip the equipment investment. A 52" cutter, a multi-head drill, glue tipping equipment — buying and maintaining that hardware only makes sense if you're running finishing work every day.

You hit tighter deadlines. A dedicated finishing partner with the right equipment on hand can usually turn a job around faster than a print shop juggling finishing between press runs.

Glue Tipping vs. Kleenstik: Choosing the Right Method

MethodBest forWhy
Glue tippingReply cards, samples, single insertsStrong, permanent bond; works on most stocks
Kleenstik transfer tapeRemovable samples, repositionable insertsClean removal, no wet glue drying time

Die Cutting for Pocket Folders

Pocket folders are one of the more finishing-intensive jobs a print shop can run — die cutting, scoring, and gluing all have to line up precisely, or the folder won't hold inserts correctly. We run pocket folder die cutting as a standing capability, which matters when an agency needs folders for an event with a fixed date.

What to Expect When You Outsource Bindery Work

  1. Send the specs — stock, quantity, and finishing requirements
  2. Get a turnaround estimate — most finishing jobs quote same-week
  3. Drop off or ship the printed pieces
  4. We handle padding, drilling, gluing, cutting, collating, or die cutting
  5. Pickup or delivery back to you, ready to ship to your client
Common Questions

Before you call

How do I get a quote?

Call 215-634-7490 or email info@completehandassembly.com with what you're assembling, packing, or mailing — quantity, number of components, and your deadline. A sample or spec sheet helps, but a rough description is enough to start.

Can you handle small runs — or unusually large ones?

Both. Padding, collating, kitting and most of our services run economically at short-run and large-run volumes. Tell us the quantity and we'll quote it straight.

My job is unusual. Is that a problem?

Creative and unusual requests are our specialty, not a problem. If it needs hands, jigs, or a process nobody else wants to figure out, that's exactly the work we've built our reputation on.

Do you work with commercial printers?

Yes — we've served the commercial printing trade for decades with cutting, drilling, collating, tipping, easeling, and full bindery support. Your job ships under your name, finished right.

How fast can bindery and finishing work turn around?

It depends on the job, but most standard finishing work — padding, drilling, collating — turns around within a few business days. Rush jobs are often possible; call with your specs.

What's the minimum order size for bindery services?

We handle both large and short runs — padding, in particular, is quoted either way. Send your quantity and we'll tell you what makes sense.

Can you match existing finishing specs from a previous vendor?

Yes. Send the specs or a sample of the finished piece and we'll match cutting, padding, or drilling dimensions.

Contact Us

Talk to us about your next job

Address

Complete Hand Assembly and Finishing
500 East Luzerne Street
Philadelphia, PA 19124

Phone

215-634-7490

Serving the commercial printing industry, brands, and businesses throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond.

Get a quote on your project

Tell us what you're assembling, packing, kitting, or mailing — units, components, and your deadline — and we'll come back with a straight answer on price and schedule.

Call 215-634-7490 Email a Quote Request
MON–FRI · PHILADELPHIA, PA