How to Fix an Evolis Zenius 2 "Not Communicating" Error in Windows

If you are trying to print ID badges and the Evolis Premium Suite 2 software displays a "Not Communicating" or "Offline" status, it can bring your operations to a sudden halt.

When a Zenius 2 refuses to talk to a Windows PC, the issue is rarely a broken printer. Instead, it is usually a breakdown in the data path between the Windows operating system and the driver.

Here are the two most common reasons for this communication failure and the exact steps required to get your printer back online.

Step 1: Check the USB Port Colour 

Back of Zenius 2 Expert.

Modern Windows desktop PCs and laptops are filled with high-speed USB ports, but the internal logic board of the Zenius 2 is designed to communicate over standard USB 2.0 architecture.

If you plug the printer into a newer USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 port, the Windows power management controller will often drop the two-way data packets required by the Evolis Premium Suite 2 to track ribbon levels and sensor states. This triggers an immediate "Not Communicating" error.

How to check and fix it:

1. Look closely at the USB ports on your computer where the printer cable is attached.

2. Avoid the Blue Ports: If the plastic inside the port is blue, or has an "SS" (SuperSpeed) symbol next to it, it is a USB 3.0 port.

3. Move to a Black Port: Unplug the printer cable and move it to a port with black or grey plastic inside. On a desktop PC, these older USB 2.0 ports are usually located on the back of the tower, directly on the motherboard, rather than the front panel.

Step 2: Clear and Restart the Windows Print Spooler

If moving the cable does not clear the error, a corrupted print job is likely stuck in the Windows background queue, locking the driver and preventing any new data from reaching the printer. Turning the printer off and on will not clear this cache; you must manually reset the Windows Print Spooler service.

How to reset the spooler:

1. Unplug the printer’s USB cable from the PC.

2. On your keyboard, press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.

3. Type services.msc and press Enter.

4. In the Services window, scroll down the alphabetical list until you find Print Spooler.

5. Right-click on Print Spooler and click Stop. Leave this window open.

6. Press the Windows Key + R again, type spool and press Enter.

7. Open the PRINTERS folder and delete every file inside it (these are the jammed print jobs). Do not delete the folder itself, just the contents.

8. Go back to the Services window, right-click Print Spooler, and click Start.

9. Reconnect your Zenius 2 USB cable to the black USB 2.0 port. The Premium Suite 2 software should now refresh and display the printer as "Ready".

Still Showing "Not Communicating"?

If you have moved the cable to a native USB 2.0 port and restarted the Windows spooler, but the offline message persists, the issue points to a deeper system conflict. This is often caused by a failed background firmware update, a corrupt registry entry from an older Evolis driver installation, or a physical failure on the printer's interface board.

Resolving these deeper technical faults requires specialised diagnostic tools to clean the Windows registry and safely force a hardware firmware flash.

Get in Touch

Rather than spending hours wrestling with driver files and system settings, get in contact with us, and we'll get you in touch with the right Evolis team.