Evolis Primacy 2 ID Card Printer

Evolis Primacy 2 ID Card Printer Overview

The Evolis Primacy 2 card printer is a direct-to-card ID card printer built for organisations that print regularly and need consistent, professional results at volume. With printing speeds of up to 280 cards per hour single-sided and 170 cards per hour for double-sided cards, it suits medium and large volume printing programmes running tens of thousands of cards a year. It handles colour and monochrome printing, rewritable card printing and a wide range of encoding options, all from a compact desktop unit.

Specifications

What's Included:

• Evolis Primacy 2 printer unit
• USB cable
• Power cable and power supply
• Starter cleaning kit
• CardPresso XXS software licence
• Quick start guide

Print quality and throughput for a working card programme

The Primacy 2 uses direct-to-card dye-sublimation for colour cards. Monochrome printing uses resin thermal transfer. Both technologies produce edge-to-edge results, so logos and backgrounds reach the full card face without a white border.

Colour printing

At 280 cards per hour, the single-sided model can process roughly 2,200 cards in a standard working day. The printer's colour profile system adjusts output to keep photos, logos and custom graphics accurate and consistent across long print runs.

High-resolution mode

The 300 × 1200 dpi monochrome printing mode sharpens text and barcodes significantly. It's worth enabling for cards that carry small-font information or machine-read codes like QR codes.

Dual-sided printing

The double-sided (also called the duplex) model prints both faces of the card automatically at up to 170 cards per hour. If you need to print terms, barcodes or access information on the reverse, this removes a manual flip step entirely. Single-sided models can be upgraded to duplex later, so buying the base model now doesn't lock you out.

Rewritable cards

The Primacy 2 supports rewritable card printing as standard. Temporary passes, visitor cards or short-term event credentials can be erased and reprinted many times, which cuts consumable costs for high-turnover programmes.

Encoding, security features and card durability

The Primacy 2 is designed to scale with your card programme. You can order it with dual-sided printing and encoding from the outset, or start with the base single-sided model and build the printer around your needs as they grow.

Encoding options

The printer accepts magnetic stripe, contact smart card and contactless smart card encoders. This makes it a practical fit for access control cards, staff credentials and membership programmes that need machine-readable data written during printing. Encoding of magnetic stripes is handled in-line, so no separate pass is required.

Data security

When personal data is printed onto a card, that information is transferred to the ribbon and to the printer's memory. The Primacy 2 addresses both. Digital erasing wipes all print job data from the printer's memory automatically once the job finishes. Kineclipse® is an optional Evolis-patented system that physically scrambles the data imprinted on the ribbon, so used ribbons cannot be read if they leave your premises. Together these two features support a straightforward approach to GDPR-compliant card production.

Card durability and UV effect

Standard YMCKO ribbons include one overlay layer. Switching to a YMCKOO ribbon adds a second overlay pass, which delivers three times the abrasion resistance of a standard ribbon. UV effect printing, available via the YMCKOO ribbon or in combination with the optional lamination module, adds a security feature visible only under UV light. This makes produced cards significantly harder to replicate. The optional lamination module extends the options further, adding varnish patches and generic or custom hologram laminates for the highest-security applications.

User interface options

The standard printer ships with an LED panel. The optional LCD touch screen displays on-screen job status and QR code prompts. It's a practical addition when multiple staff members need to pick up and run print jobs without prior training.

Compatible ribbons, blank cards and warranty

The Primacy 2 carries a 3-year warranty covering both the printer and the printhead. Using genuine Evolis ribbons protects that warranty and maintains print quality; non-genuine ribbons risk voiding the printhead cover.

Castlemount stocks a range of Evolis printer ribbons, including full-colour YMCKO, YMCKOK for dual-sided printing, YMCKOO for double overlay and UV effect, plus monochrome options for single-colour printing. See our Evolis printer ribbons for the compatible range.

The printer accepts standard CR80 PVC cards at 0.76 mm. If you need printable blank white PVC cards, magnetic stripe cards or contactless MIFARE cards to run through the Primacy 2, see our blank ID cards.

Who the Evolis Primacy 2 was Designed for

The Primacy 2 is the right choice for any organisation that prints ID cards regularly in volume and needs a printer that can grow with the programme without being replaced.

• HR and facilities teams: Issuing staff ID cards, access credentials and visitor passes with names, photos and encoded chip or magnetic stripe data.
• Education administrators: Producing student and staff ID cards in batch runs at the start of each term, where throughput and consistent print quality both matter.
• Healthcare organisations: Printing staff badges and patient-facing ID credentials that need to carry encoded data alongside photographic identification.
• Security and access control managers: Producing smart card or magnetic stripe credentials for physical access control systems, where in-line encoding and card security features are essential.
• Membership and events teams: Running medium to large volume printing of membership cards or event credentials, including rewritable temporary passes that reduce per-card costs.