Smartcard printer setup and care

Smartcard printing in Care Identity Management is supported by the DoH (V2) and DoH 300 (V2) smartcard printers, both manufactured by Magicard.

Datacard SP35 printers are no longer supported.

Select your printer on the Magicard support page for more information.

These are the main steps to setting up a working smartcard printer:

1. Assemble the printer according to its user guide.
2. Install the printer.
3. Confirm that the printer has a status of 'Connected'.
4. Identify and set up the printer smartcard reader driver or driver combination.
5. Verify you have the right driver installed.

Series 9 smartcard rollout checklist

In addition to the steps above, for series 9 smartcards you must also follow these steps:

1. Install NHS Credential Management 1.4.2.0.
2. Install PIV middleware (only required if automatic Windows updates are disabled).
3. Remove the 5x21 driver and ensure correct printer reader drivers are setup on all current Registration Authority workstations used for printing smartcards.

Switch on the printer, but only connect the USB cable(s) to the workstation once it has logged into Windows. The smartcard printer drivers are installed automatically via Windows Update. If automatic Windows updates are disabled, download the driver and manually install it using the .inf file before connecting the printer to the RA Workstation.

To check that the printer has been successfully installed, go to the printer status section.

The printer configuration tool contains important information about your printer. You can view it by following these steps:

1. Click Start Menu > Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners
2. Select DoH (V2) DoH 300 (V2)
3. Click Manage and then Printing Preferences

Printer status

In the printing preferences window, select Printer Status.

A green banner indicates the printer has been successfully installed and is in a connected and operational state. A red banner indicates the printer is either disconnected, powered off or is experiencing an issue, which can usually be fixed by removing and reconnecting the power cable.

If this doesn't work, disconnect the printer USB cable(s) and go to Settings > Devices & Printers > Right click and select 'Remove Device' on all instances of the DoH, DoH 300 or Magicard printers. Then reconnect the printer USB cables to allow the printer to install. You will see a new DoH or Magicard printer appear.

Check the number of prints remaining

Printer ribbons can print approximately 300 smartcards. To check how many prints are remaining, select the 'Statistics' tab

You should see a 'Prints remaining' bar and a figure for total cards printed. 

Find out how to order smartcard printers and consumables.

Cleaning frequency

Select the ‘Cleaning’ tab to see information about cleaning frequency of the printer.

For information on cleaning your printer see the printer care and maintenance section.

It's vital to ensure the correct drivers are installed for the printer's in-built smartcard reader. The table below sets out printer setups and the relative configurations.

Important notes on printer setups:

• Microsoft Usbccid Smartcard Reader (WUDF) is a widely compatible driver which installs automatically if the manufacturer driver is not already installed or has been removed.

• To identify a printer's in-built smartcard reader in Windows device manager, use the hardware ID from the table above. Double click on the target smartcard reader > Details tab > dropdown menu > Hardware ID.

• The printer firmware serves as a reference solely to indicate successful testing up to the present version. Earlier versions remain compatible.

How to remove the Omnikey 5x21 smartcard printer reader driver

All users of DoH (V2) printers must delete the 5x21 driver from their machines using the following steps:

1. Go to Start Menu > Control Panel > Device Manager > View > Show hidden devices > Smartcard Readers.
2. Right click and select 'Uninstall device' on the reader visible as 'Omnikey 5x21'.
3. Tick 'Delete the driver software for this device' and select Uninstall.
4. Select Action > Scan for hardware changes.

Important note: to remove the Elatec driver from Windows 11, use the same steps above but on the reader visible as 'Smartcard Device' under Universal Serial Bus Controllers.

To verify the drivers have installed correctly, launch the Control Panel > Device Manager > Smartcard Reader section. The printer smartcard readers (noted with a bullet point in green) should appear as follows:

1. It's not recommended to use an Omnikey 5321CR standalone smartcard reader on a machine used for smartcard printing that has a Magicard DoH (V2) Printer (5x21 Reader) connected to it, as both devices share the 5x21 driver. This will prevent the issuance of series 9 smartcards.

2. Ideally, connect the USB cables to the same USB ports on the Registration Authority workstation. If this is not possible, keep the USB cables connected to a USB hub at all times. The USB hub will then only require 1 USB port to connect to the Registration Authority workstation. This will help to avoid unnecessary instances of the printer appearing as 'DoH (V2) (Copy 1)', 'DoH (V2) (Copy 2)' etc in the Devices & Printers section.

3. Use the USB cables that came with the printer, as 3rd-party cables can cause installation and connectivity issues.

4. Make sure USB docking stations are not overloaded with connected USB devices, as this can cause card printing issues due to poor USB power management.
5. Check that USB 3.0 hubs with printer USB cables connected to them are connected to a USB 3.0 compatible port on the Registration Authority workstation.

Driver updates

We recommend you use the latest Magicard printer driver. To check the printer driver version, in the Printing Preferences window, select 'About'. The installed driver will be shown in the next window.

It is highly likely that machines with automatic Windows updates enabled will have the latest printer driver already installed.

Users with automatic Windows updates disabled can update the printer driver using the following steps:

1. Disconnect printer USB cables
2. Goto Settings > Devices & Printers > Right click and select 'Remove Device' on all instances of the DoH, DoH 300 or Magicard printers.
3. Check for and uninstall old printer drivers if they are present:
   a. HSCIC_Web_V2.0.15.0_Iss1 - Control Panel > Programs & Features > HSCIC_Web_V2.0.15.0_Iss1 > Uninstall
   b. Older v2 driver versions - run the following file as an adminstrator - C:\Program Files\ID Card Printer Support\support\delete_v2_drivers_pnp.bat
   c. Reboot machine only if old driver versions were present.
4. Download and install the latest Magicard printer driver. Right click on the file magu.inf select 'Install'.
5. Go to Settings > Devices & Printers and then connect the printer USB cables.
6. Allow the printer to install automatically - you will see a new DoH or Magicard printer appear.
7. Check printer status to verify installation and make sure the printer is in an operational state.
8. Additional printers will automatically install once connected to the Registration Authority workstation.

Firmware updates

Firmware updates allow devices to continue operating efficiently and securely. Check the printer status section to identify the firmware version of your printer.

Find the latest firmware and installation instructions for your printer:

• DoH (V2)
• DoH 300 (V2)

If your printer needs a firmware update you should download the .PRN file and send it to the printer using the following steps:

Printer Properties -> Tools -> Print *.PRN -> (browse to the PRN file) -> Print

The printer LCD screen should change colour to signal that an update is in progress. The process takes approximately 1 minute to complete. Do not power off the printer during the firmware update.

It's best to use the rear card feeding mechanism, but you can change to the front card feeding mechanism by pressing the menu button on the printer and changing the relevant setting.

For optimal performance, we recommend you clean smartcard printers as regularly as every 3 months as the rollers can accumulate dust and cause card feeding issues. Using the rear plastic hopper helps to reduce dust build up as the rollers are better protected. Read information on ordering cleaning consumables.

Watch a video on how to clean your Magicard DoH 300 (V2) printer.

Watch a video on how to clean your Magicard DoH (V2) printer.

Magicard printers purchased via NHS England’s supplier SCC come with 5-year warranty from the date of purchase.

Input the serial number of your smartcard printer on the Magicard support site to check the warranty status.

If after troubleshooting you believe that the printer has a mechanical fault, please contact the SCC support desk at [email protected]

Organisations who purchase printers from independent suppliers must obtain their own warranty/service contract.

Independently bought DoH (V2) printers are blue and white, and are known as Magicard Enduro or Enduro+ printers.

Find out how to order smartcard printers and consumables.

See our dedicated page on troubleshooting smartcard printers.

Find solutions for all Magicard printer error codes.