Work Smarter: Simple Tips to Boost Uptime and Reduce Changeovers

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With a demand for faster turnaround times, continued growth in short-run jobs, and increased personalization within the promotional products industry, concerns about throughput and changeover time are rising.

The question becomes: How do I decorate more product, more consistently, and with less downtime and bottlenecks?

To help answer this question, Promo Impressions gathered practical tips for operations and production managers overseeing promotional products decoration and insight into equipment and processes — from laser engraving and UV-LED printing to embroidery and direct-to-garment printing — to support more seamless production.

Standardize Processes, Fixtures, and Presets

It’s simple, but wherever possible, use standardized processes and procedures. This can apply to anything that happens before, during, or after printing.

Honing in on laser engraving, for example, it could mean using standardized fixtures and job presets, Avi Garikiparthi, marketing manager for Radian Laser, suggests.

"Downtime between short-run jobs adds up quickly and directly impacts margins,” Garikiparthi stresses. “Faster, more repeatable setups allow more orders to be completed per shift with less operator fatigue and fewer errors.”

“A galvo-based CO₂ laser system paired with dedicated product fixtures and saved job parameters allow operators to move from one SKU to the next in minutes,” he continues. “When fixtures, focus height, and laser settings are repeatable, throughput increases without sacrificing quality.”

How Radian Laser sets up its larger jobs, running 10 tumblers at a time. Standardized white fixtures or jigs allow the operator to swap out new units easily for continuous production. Credit: Radian Laser

The takeaway is consistency. When setups are repeatable, operators spend less time recalibrating between jobs — and more time producing.

The same approach applies to UV-LED printing. Repeatable jig setups and print presets — including color profiles, white and varnish layers, and build-up passes — help operators move quickly between jobs, suggests Emilio Rangel, product manager at Mutoh. He notes that these SOPs allow operators to switch between common promo items without making adjustments to RIP software.

“Promo decorators often run short, mixed jobs where setup time can outweigh print time,” Rangel explains. “Reducing manual adjustments between jobs keeps them printing instead of idle, increasing daily output while minimizing operator error and wasted material.”

Saving print presets in the RIP software allows operators to switch between common promo items without making adjustments. | Credit: MUTOH

The same principle applies beyond print. In embroidery, one practical way to reduce changeover time is to standardize thread setups. Keep the most common colors loaded on machines at all times, Ed Levy, vice president of technology at Hirsch Solutions, suggests.

“This reduces the frequency of thread changes and helps operators move seamlessly from one job to the next without unnecessary interruptions,” he adds. “Another way to maximize uptime is to group orders that require non-standard colors together. By batching these jobs, you reduce repeated changeovers, maintain production momentum, and make better use of operator time, which will result in higher overall efficiency and more predictable throughput.”

That standardization can be as simple as keeping core setup decisions consistent from job to job. Say you have a 15-needle machine. Dedicate needles 1-10 to the most commonly used colors. Needles 11-15 are for specialty or job-specific color changes, Levy explains. “This setup creates consistency across jobs and minimizes setup time between runs.”

By batching specialty jobs, you reduce repeated changeovers, maintain production momentum, and make better use of operator time. | Credit: Hirsch Solutions

Looking at digital printing for soft goods like apparel, automation can keep production on track. "The most important thing is to effectively leverage automated, recipe-driven workflows to minimize manual intervention during job changeovers and daily production," adds Sharon Donovich, director at Kornit Digital.

For promotional products suppliers and decorators who run a variety of jobs, manual setup and variability can slow things down. "Automation ensures repeatable results, faster transitions between jobs, and more predictable throughput — helping shops meet tight delivery windows without increasing labor," Donovich continues.

This is where integrated digital printing platforms can automate calibration, ink management, and job setup, enabling operators to move through orders with minimal touchpoints.

Digital printing can autonomous calibration and quick changes to your production floor. | Credit: Kornit Digital

No matter the process, standardization and automation help protect predictable throughput, which is essential as personalization grows and print-on-demand (POD) becomes more common.

Speaking to this shift, Jessica Makrinos, marketing manager for Inkcups, says the industry should “expect to see continued growth in smaller volume, higher value work, as brands tailor campaigns to niche audiences, pop-up activations, and seasonal releases.”

Credit: Inkcups

For promo suppliers and decorators dealing with short runs and tight turnarounds, it makes efficiency and repeatability even more important. Standardizing what you can between jobs reduces setup time, but protecting uptime day-to-day depends on maintenance.

Regular and Preventive Maintenance

Another area you cannot ignore when it comes to improving efficiency, uptime, and throughput is maintenance. It sounds like a no-brainer, but routine maintenance is often overlooked to keep production moving.

“You would be surprised to learn how many companies and operators try to ‘save time’ by skipping the necessary maintenance – pushing through problems only to pay for it later,” advises Philip Chu, product manager of UV & specialty devices at Roland DGA. “Stopping for five minutes to do a manual cleaning will extend the life of your print heads and keep your device operating at optimum performance.”

A simple checklist and scheduled cleaning routine can help ensure maintenance doesn’t get skipped during peak periods. This is especially important in certain UV-LED applications when media is highly reflective, Chu adds, and printers require more attention and cleaning to avoid ink curing to print heads.

And because many promo workflows involve mixed substrates and frequent changeovers, keeping UV equipment clean and dialed in can prevent slowdowns further down the line. Chu also notes that UV printing can be a throughput advantage because items cure instantly — reducing wait time between printing, handling, and packaging.

Credit: Roland DG

Maintenance is also critical in DTG printing, says Timothy Dinneen, senior national sales manager for Brother Industrial Products. In addition to cleaning, he notes that replacement of consumable parts and components shouldn't be overlooked. This includes items around the printer’s maintenance station, which is responsible for capping, wiping, and flashing the print heads; and the humidification system.

This routine care reduces the risk of nozzle deflection and dropouts and ultimately improves uptime, he says, enabling promotional products suppliers and decorators to increase output per shift when managing small batches, custom items, and strict in-hand dates. Printers with self-cleaning processes and features that promote efficient drainage and clog reduction can make maintenance even easier.

Credit: Brother

“The GTX 600 series, in particular, features an integrated humidification system as well," Dinneen shares. “Maintaining these areas ensures that equipment functions at optimal capacity, resulting in enhanced uptime, improved throughput, and streamlined production workflows.”

By creating SOPs and maintaining equipment, promotional products decorators and printers can decorate more products, more consistently, with less downtime and stress. There’s no need to overhaul everything at once. Small efficiency wins make a difference. With the right investments and tools, you can unlock capabilities already at your fingertips.