Primacy Card Printer vs. Primacy 2 Card Printer: Why Upgrading Is Essential for Your Business

Card Printers -

Primacy Card Printer vs. Primacy 2 Card Printer: Why Upgrading Is Essential for Your Business

As an expert in the industry, Card Monster is dedicated to providing the best card products and solutions to meet your needs and help you choose the card printer that best fits your business.

For many companies, from large to small businesses, card printers are an essential tool for creating employee IDs, membership cards, access badges, and more. 

In this blog post, we'll dive deep into the key differences between the Primacy Card Printer and the Primacy 2 Card Printer, focusing on why upgrading to the Primacy 2 can provide significant advantages for your business.

We'll explore aspects like printing speed, quality, technological advancements, environmental impact, and overall cost-effectiveness to help you make an informed decision.

Understanding the Basics: Primacy Card Printer vs. Primacy 2 Card Printer

Primacy 1 and Primacy 2 card printer

Overview of the Primacy Card Printer

The Primacy Card Printer has been a reliable choice for businesses needing a user-friendly card printer. So often card printers are difficult to set up and use but the primacy makes set up, design and integration so much easier with its plug and play capabilities. 

The printer is designed for ease of use, offering straightforward operation that doesn’t require a lot of training. This model is well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses and provides decent print quality, making it a good option for businesses with standard card printing needs.

Key features of the Primacy Card Printer include

  • Ease of Use: Simple setup and operation make it accessible for all staff.
  • Basic Print Quality: Suitable for general-purpose ID cards, loyalty cards, and access badges.
  • Reasonable Speed: Handles moderate printing volumes efficiently.
  • Compact Design: Fits easily into most office spaces.

Introducing the Primacy 2 Card Printer

Primacy 2 card printer

The Primacy 2 Card Printer is the upgrade to the primacy card printer. It’s designed to be the fastest card printer on the market, capable of printing up to 280 colour cards single-sided in just one hour. Much faster than the Primacy Card Printer which was 225 cards per hour single-sided colour.

This speed, and advanced features, makes the Primacy 2 an ideal choice for businesses that require high-volume printing with excellent quality and durability.

Key features of the Primacy 2 Card Printer include:

  • Unmatched Speed: The fastest card printer available on the market, perfect for high-volume printer needs.
  • Superior Print Quality: High-definition colour printing ensures sharp and vivid images with a colour profile unlike the predecessor. It is capable of creating varnishes, patches and holographic elements like the predecessor but has a new ribbon range of UV Double Overlay Ribbons. 
  • Advanced Technology: Enhanced security features, connectivity options, and modular design. 
  • Compatible devices: Unlike the predecessor, the new primacy 2 can connect not only to a computer but a smartphone and tablet as well. Making it so much more versatile to print directly from your devices. The Primacy 2 also connects now not only to Windows Computers but to MAC and Linex as well, making it that much more versatile. 
  • Environmentally Friendly: Designed to minimise waste and reduce energy consumption.

See our comparisons below:

Comparison of Primacy and Primacy 2 card printer

Detailed Comparison: Why Upgrade to the Primacy 2 Card Printer?

Printing Speed

Primacy Card Printer:

  • The Primacy Card Printer has been a reliable option for businesses with moderate card printing needs. However, its speed, while adequate, does not match the rapid output capabilities required by many modern businesses. Printing several hundred cards can take several hours, which may not be ideal for companies with high turnover or large employee bases.

Primacy 2 Card Printer:

  • The Primacy 2 Card Printer is a game-changer in terms of speed. It can print up to 280 colour cards single-sided per hour, making it the fastest card printer on the market today. This increased speed significantly reduces the time needed to produce large batches, allowing businesses to be more efficient and responsive to their card printing needs.
  • It saves a lot of companies time and money with them able to print cards quickly and efficiently. 

Why This Matters:

  • Faster printing speeds mean reduced downtime and more efficient use of resources. For businesses that frequently need to print large quantities of cards—such as event organizers, educational institutions, or large corporations—the Primacy 2 offers a substantial improvement in productivity.

Print Quality and Durability

Primacy Card Printer:

  • While the Primacy Card Printer provides decent print quality, it may not deliver the high-definition output required for certain cards that require high-density colour graphics. The print resolution is suitable for basic text and graphics, but it might not capture the finer details needed for complex designs or high-security cards.

Primacy 2 Card Printer:

  • The Primacy 2 is designed to offer superior print quality. It produces sharp, vivid images and crisp text, ensuring that every card looks professional and is easy to read. This printer also supports advanced encoding options and lamination, which adds an extra layer of protection to the cards, making them more durable and resistant to wear and tear.
  • The Primacy 2 offers a new ribbon range for the UV effect overlay ribbons. This is great for scratch resistance and ensures that your cards are not damaged or tampered with as the extra layer provides an extra layer of protection against falsification.  

Why This Matters:

  • High-quality, durable cards are essential for maintaining a professional image and ensuring the security of your company. Whether you're printing employee IDs, access control cards, or membership cards, the Primacy 2 ensures that every card is both visually appealing and long-lasting.

Technological Advancements

Primacy Card Printer:

  • The Primacy Card Printer, while reliable, lacks some of the latest technological features that businesses need today. It offers connectivity via USB and provides compatibility with only Windows laptops. This may be limiting to companies who deal with laptops that do not have USB connectivity or only deal with MAC or Linux computers.

Primacy 2 Card Printer:

  • The Primacy 2 Card Printer is equipped with the latest technology, including enhanced connectivity options like USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi, allowing for more flexible use across different devices. Perfect for companies that more than one user to print cards from different devices. 
  • It also includes advanced security features and password protectors to protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorised use. 
  • The Primacy 2 card printer can connect to a computer, smartphone or tablet which is great for companies who want to have a versatile workforce and print from any device. You can also print from a Windows computer, MAC or Linux computer making it much easier for any company to use.
  • The Primacy 2 card printer offers a digital erase function which is great because when you have made a mistake and sent something by accident to your card printer, it can automatically delete it from its memory so it does not print anything. 

Why This Matters:

  • Staying up-to-date with the latest technology is crucial for businesses that want to remain competitive and secure. The Primacy 2's advanced features not only make printing cards easier, but also ensure compliance with the latest security standards, protecting your business and its data.

Environmental Impact

Primacy Card Printer:

  • Older models like the Primacy Card Printer may not meet today’s standards for energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. While effective in their time, these models can consume more energy and produce more waste compared to newer options.

Primacy 2 Card Printer:

  • The Primacy 2 is designed with a strong emphasis on environmental responsibility. It minimises waste through efficient printing processes and uses less energy, aligning with sustainable business practices. Additionally, the printer supports the use of environmentally friendly materials and offers recycling options for consumables, helping businesses reduce their ecological footprint.

Why This Matters:

  • Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability can enhance your brand’s reputation and appeal to eco-conscious customers. By choosing a printer that supports green practices, you’re not only reducing costs but also contributing to a healthier planet.

Upgrade Potential and Future-Proofing

Primacy Card Printer:

  • As technology continues to evolve, older models like the Primacy Card Printer may become outdated or incompatible with newer software and security protocols. This can lead to increased maintenance costs and potential security risks over time.
  • Consumables start to become more expensive as the manufacturer no longer produces them and fewer consumables will be on the market forcing your business to move to the newer version. 

Primacy 2 Card Printer:

  • The Primacy 2 is designed with future-proofing in mind. Its modular design allows for easy upgrades, ensuring your investment remains valuable as your business needs change. Whether you need to add new encoding options, improve security features, or enhance connectivity, the Primacy 2 can adapt to meet your requirements.

Why This Matters:

  • Upgrading to a future-proof card printer ensures long-term cost savings and operational efficiency. It eliminates the need for frequent replacements and allows you to stay ahead of technological advancements, safeguarding your business against obsolescence.

What are the optional extras for your Primacy 2 Card Printer? 

Optional Primacy 2 Extras

You can have an optional 200 card feeder hopper, an extra module that can be attached onto the top of your card printer to feed more cards into the card printer without having to manually feed cards in every so often. This is great for companies who print cards in high volume as they can put a lot of cards into the hopper and not have to worry about feeding the card printer with more cards every few minutes. Saving you a huge amount of time and money. 

200 card printer hopper Primacy 2


You can also choose the level of security modules you need depending on your requirements:

  • Encoders: encode contact or contactless chips and magnetic strips with our various encoders. Choose the ones you need when you purchase or add them throughout the life of your Primacy 2. This is a module that you can simply add to your Primacy 2 card printer whenever you need it. 
  • UV effect: we have a large range of UV effect Overlay Ribbons, also known as the YMCKOO ribbon. You can add a UV effect to your cards in order to give them a greater level of security. These are also great for protecting your cards from any scratches or damage.This overlay module can be added as an extra for your primacy 2 card printer. 
  • Double overlay layer: a double overlay layer can be purchased separately for your Primacy 2 card printer as it enhances the durability for your printed cards. This double layer of varnish provides enhanced wear and tear protection, with 3 times the damage resistance of standard YMCKO ribbon.
  • Lamination module: you can order the lamination module with your Primacy 2 card printer. The lamination module allows you to integrate advanced security and protection elements (varnish, patch, or generic or custom holograms). The lamination module is perfect for securing important id cards or access cards that need to be sure and protected from fraud. 
  • Scanner: the scanner allows you to check that the elements on your cards have been printed correctly and to keep a print history. This is an optional extra that you can add to your card printer. 
  • Mechanical key lock: You have the option to lock your card printer with a key. This is great for security and ensuring that your card printer cannot be used by anyone else other than the person using the card printer. 
  • Kineclipse: The patented Kineclipse® option automatically covers any sensitive data left on used ribbons during card personalisation, eliminating the need for complicated security measures or special equipment like shredders to destroy the ribbons. Check out the video that shows what we mean. You can add this as an optional extra to ensure that your cards are safe and secure when dealing with governmental cards or special access or id cards. 

Kineclipse removal of important information on ribbons

Conclusion: Why You Should Upgrade to the Primacy 2 Card Printer

Primacy 2 card printer

Upgrading from the Primacy Card Printer to the Primacy 2 Card Printer is a smart decision for businesses looking to enhance their card printing capabilities. The Primacy 2 offers numerous advantages, including:

  • Unmatched Speed and Efficiency: Handle large printing volumes with ease, reducing downtime and improving productivity.
  • Superior Print Quality and Durability: Create professional, long-lasting cards that enhance your brand’s image and security.
  • Advanced Technology and Security: Stay ahead of technological advancements and protect sensitive information with enhanced security features. Don’t forget about all the optional extras you can have on your primacy card printer. 
  • Environmental Responsibility: Align with sustainable practices and reduce your environmental impact.
  • Future-Proof Investment: Ensure compatibility with future technologies and avoid costly replacements.

For businesses across South Africa, investing in the Primacy 2 Card Printer means investing in the future. It’s an opportunity to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

To explore all the features and benefits of the Primacy 2 Card Printer, check out the detailed comparison leaflet here: Primacy 2 Comparison Leaflet.

At Card Monster, we are committed to providing the best card printing solutions to meet your unique needs. If you have any questions or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. Let us help you take your card printing needs to the next level!


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published