Field prints twice, or not at all when added to template file
Your template file will only print fields that are not hidden in the Manage Display window, so you definitely need to make it 'default'.

It's probably printing twice because you have the default print render($content); somewhere in your template file.

If you want to print the field separately and not have it print when the main content is printed you need to hide the field in the template file not in Manage Display:

&lt;?php hide($content['field_description']) ?&gt;


Make sure you do this early in the file, before print render($content);.