Evolis Primacy

Owned by Joe Large
Last updated: May 22, 2024
2 min read

When using Evolis Primacy and Primacy 2 printers with EliteID and VDS PrintManager, you may encounter issues with duplex (double-sided) card printing and magnetic stripe encoding. This behavior is caused by a conflict between the printer driver settings stored in the Windows Registry and the way VDS PrintManager runs as a service.

Resolving the issue

To resolve this issue, you need to configure the VDS PrintManager service to run under a specific user account instead of the default "Local System" account. This will ensure that the printer settings are correctly applied and maintained.

  • Open the Services Manager

    • Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.

    • Type services.msc and press Enter.

  • Configure the VDS PrintManager Service

    • Find the "VDS PrintManager" service in the list.

    • Right-click on it and select "Properties".

    • In the Properties window, switch to the "Log On" tab.

    • Select the "This account" option and enter the credentials for a local or domain user account.

    Note: If only a single Windows user is expected to log onto the EliteID print station, you can use the currently logged-in user account. Otherwise, if multiple users are expected to log onto the EliteID workstation, follow the instructions below to create a dedicated local service account.

  • Create a Local Service Account (if required)

    • The service account can be either a local account or a domain account, and it does not require local Administrator permissions. Note: it must have the ability to log in interactively.

    • Open the "Computer Management" tool by pressing the Windows key + R, typing compmgmt.msc, and pressing Enter.

    • Navigate to "Local Users and Groups" > "Users".

    • Right-click on the "Users" folder and select "New User".

    • Enter a username (e.g., "VDSPrint") and a secure password.

    • Ensure that the "User must change password at next logon" option is disabled, and the "Password never expires" option is enabled.

    • Click "Create" to finish creating the new user account.

  • Restart the VDS PrintManager Service

    • After configuring the service to run under the specified user account, right-click on the "VDS PrintManager" service and select "Restart".

Important: When using a service account, you must perform the following action one time:

  • Log in as that account once to set up the printer preferences before using it with the VDS PrintManager service, OR

  • Locate the Evolis Print Center or Evolis Premium Suite 2 and “run-as” the service account user. Then, configure the printer preferences (ribbon type, duplex option, card rotation, etc.)