Summary
Both printers must be cleaned on a card-count schedule. The print-head warranty is tied to that schedule. A clean only counts if the printer logs it (software wizard or control-panel double-click). Running a card through by hand does not reset the counter.
Same intervals on Primacy 1 and Primacy 2:
- Recommended: every ribbon or film change
- Mandatory regular clean: cleaning warning at 1,000 inserted cards
- Warranty void if the warning is still on at 1,200 cards
- Advanced clean: about every 5 regular cycles (about 5,000 cards), sooner in dust or after long idle time
When the user should call or clean
| Symptom | Action |
|---|---|
| Cleaning LED blinking, power steady | Regular cleaning now. Do not keep printing. |
| Cleaning LED steady | Past the grace window. Warranty at risk. Clean immediately and note the card count. |
| Streaks, spots, dust marks, faded panels | Regular clean. If it returns, advanced clean. |
| Cards not feeding, repeated jams | Advanced clean. Check that the thickness gauge was reset after the last clean. |
| Ribbon just changed | Clean at the same time, even if the warning is off. |
| Printer unused for a long period | Advanced clean before the next production run. |
Primacy 2 user guide: warning after 1,000 cards, about 200 cards left; warranty invalid after 1,200 if the warning stays on.
Kits to issue
ACL001 — regular (about 5 cycles)
5 adhesive cards, 5 alcohol swabs. Rollers and print head.
ACL002 — advanced
2 pre-saturated T-cards, 2 adhesive cards, 1 print-head pen, wipes. The T-card reaches the transport and cleaning rollers; the sticky card does not.
Do not substitute older Evolis alcohol cards used on Pebble or Dualys. Primacy and Zenius use the adhesive card plus the T-card. A cleaning pen is good for about 8 uses.
Before you start
- Confirm the model. Primacy 1 uses Evolis Print Center. Primacy 2 uses Evolis Premium Suite 2. Both also accept a double-click on the control-panel button.
- Have a new adhesive card (regular) or a T-card plus adhesive card plus pen (advanced).
- Remove the ribbon and all cards from the feeder.
- Set the thickness lever to MAX. Leaving it on a card setting is a common cause of the cleaning card not feeding.
- Start the cycle in software or with the control-panel double-click before inserting the card. Insert only when the card/ribbon LED flashes or the wizard says to insert.
Regular cleaning
- Open the cover. Remove the ribbon. Close the cover until it clicks.
- Open the feeder. Remove cards. Set thickness to MAX.
- Start the cycle.
- Primacy 1: Print Center, right-click the printer, Properties, Cleaning, Start Cleaning. Or double-click the control-panel button.
- Primacy 2: Premium Suite 2, Assistance & Maintenance, Cleaning, Start Cleaning. Or double-click the power/cleaning button.
- Peel the film from a new adhesive card. Insert adhesive side up when prompted.
- Wait until it ejects into the output hopper. Discard it. Do not reuse it.
- Unplug the printer. Open the cover. Lift the print-head protective cover.
- Swab: squeeze the middle of the tube until the tip is wet. Pen: remove the cap. Wipe left to right only, light pressure, a few seconds. Do not touch the head with fingers, metal, or anything sharp.
- Close the cover. Reconnect power. Wait at least 2 minutes.
- Reset the thickness gauge to the stock in use (slightly above actual thickness; a 30 mil card is often set around 32–33). Reload cards and ribbon.
- In the cleaning tab, confirm the next clean is about 1,000 cards away. If the counter did not reset, the cycle was not logged. Repeat through the wizard.
Advanced cleaning
Evolis recommends this every five regular cycles. In a dusty room, or if quality drops or jams continue, do it sooner (some sites use every 1,000 cards in dust).
- Same prep: ribbon out, cards out, cover clicked shut, thickness on MAX.
- Start advanced cleaning in the software, or double-click the control-panel button before inserting the card.
- Insert the T-card when the LED flashes. Discard it when it ejects.
- Peel a new adhesive card and insert it adhesive side up. Discard it when it ejects. If a fresh adhesive card is too sticky and jams, press each side on a clean palm about ten times, then retry. Do not use a used card.
- Unplug. Clean the print head with the pen, left to right, light pressure.
- Wipe reachable rollers and the exterior with the kit wipes if dusty.
- Reconnect. Wait 2 minutes. Reset the gauge. Reload ribbon and cards.
- Confirm the software logged the cycle.
Warranty — what to tell the user
- Required after 1,000 inserted cards.
- About 200 cards of grace (warning flashing).
- Invalid after 1,200 if the warning is still on (steady).
- Evolis links print-head warranty to logged regular cleans. Skipping them, or cleaning outside the wizard so the counter never resets, is treated as a maintenance failure.
- Third-party cards and swabs may not be accepted.
If a print head has already failed and the cleaning light was left on, log the card count and last logged clean before escalating. Do not promise a warranty replacement.
Common failures
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning card not pulled in | Thickness not on MAX, feeder not open, card inserted before the LED flashed, cover not clicked shut | Reset prep and restart the wizard |
| Adhesive card jams | Film not removed, sticky side down, card too tacky | Discard if damaged. New card, adhesive side up. Palm-press only if it is too sticky |
| Warning still on after clean | Cycle not started from software or double-click, so it was not logged | Run the wizard again with a new adhesive card |
| White lines or missing color after clean | Print head still dirty, or head touched by fingers | Swab again, one direction. Wait 2 minutes |
| Streaks return within a few hundred cards | Dusty site, or advanced clean overdue | ACL002. Check card stock for dust |
| Gauge left on MAX | Operator forgot the reset | Set it back before production. Wrong gauge causes jams and poor feeds |
Do not
- Do not print through a steady cleaning warning.
- Do not touch the print head.
- Do not use metal, knives, or abrasive pads on the head.
- Do not reuse adhesive cards or T-cards.
- Do not use Pebble/Dualys pre-saturated cards on Primacy.
- Do not skip the software or control-panel start if the counter must reset.
Warning: Printing through a steady cleaning warning, or cleaning outside the wizard so the counter never resets, can void the print-head warranty.
Escalation
Escalate to printer support only after a logged regular clean and an advanced clean, with:
- Model (Primacy 1 or Primacy 2) and serial
- Card count and last cleaning date from Print Center or Premium Suite 2
- Photo of the defect (streaks, bands, missing panel)
- Whether the cleaning LED is off, flashing, or steady
- Kit used (ACL001 or ACL002) and that genuine Evolis cards were used
Sources
- Evolis Primacy 2 user guide: 1,000 / 200 / 1,200, advanced every five regular cycles
- Evolis Primacy 1 and Primacy 2 cleaning procedures: adhesive card, T-card, control-panel double-click