The Chinese giant’s smart home devices have long since ceased to be just toys and become full-fledged working tools, such as Xiaomi’s inkjet printer, which allows you to print documents and photos directly from your smartphone. The process of setting up the device often raises questions among users accustomed to traditional office models with bulky drivers.
Unlike the traditional MFPs, the whole management process is tied to the mobile application and wireless networks. You don't have to search for a disk with software or suffer from it. USB-You need to have a smartphone, a stable Wi-Fi network and the device to get started.
In this guide, we will discuss all the steps in detail: from unpacking and filling cartridges to fine-tuning printing parameters through cloud services. We will look at the features of working with Xiaomi Mi Smart Inkjet All-in-One Printer and its younger versions, as well as answer questions that arise when syncing with iOS and Android.
Preparation of the device for the first launch
Before you get to the software, you have to get the hardware right. A printer box has a minimum of components, but each one is critical. Inside you'll find the printing module, the power cable, the brief instruction and the starter cartridge kit. It's important to check the integrity of the package immediately and there's no visible mechanical damage to the case.
The first thing you need to do is install the cartridges, and you need to open the front cover and wait for the carriage with the print heads to move to the center, and remove the safety tapes from the new cartridges, which is a must, and ignoring them will dry the ink or break the mechanism, insert them into the appropriate slots until the characteristic click: the black cartridge usually has the mark "Black" and the color one is "Color".
Once the supplies are installed, close the lid. The printer will automatically initiate the initialization of the print heads. At this point, the device emits the characteristic ink pumping sounds. The primary pumping time is about 10-15 minutes, and you can't interrupt this process, otherwise the heads may dry or clog with air.
☑️ Readiness of the printer
Some users mistakenly believe that you can immediately connect the device to the network. However, until the internal calibration is completed, the printer will not respond to the connection commands.
Installation and configuration of the Mi Home application
The center of management of the entire ecosystem is the Mi Home app (or Xiaomi Home), without this software, the printer becomes a useless piece of plastic. You can download the application from official Google Play stores or the App Store. Make sure you download the original application from the developer Xiaomi Inc., as third-party copies may not support the new communication protocols.
Once installed, launch the app and log in to your Mi Account. If you don't have one, you'll need to register quickly, add a new device, press the "+" button in the upper right corner of the interface, and start scanning available gadgets within Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range.
To successfully detect a printer, it is important that geolocation and Bluetooth are turned on on on the smartphone. Also make sure that the phone is connected to the same Wi-Fi network that you plan to connect the printer to. Xiaomi Smart Printer should appear on the list of devices found. Click on it to begin pairing.
- 📱 Android: The system can request permission to access the local network and location – this is necessary to transfer the password from Wi-Fi.
- 🍏 iOS: iPhone will need to confirm the connection through a pop-up window and possibly enter the password from Wi-Fi manually.
- 🌐 Region: In rare cases, if the device is not located, try changing the app settings to China, although global versions should work everywhere.
During the setup process, the app will prompt you to update the firmware of the device. It is strongly advised not to skip this step. New versions of Firmware often contain corrections for print protocol errors and improve connection stability. The update process can take several minutes during which the printer will not be used.
What to do if the application does not see the printer?
Connecting a printer to a Wi-Fi network
The most critical step is to transfer network settings to the device. Modern Xiaomi models use fast-tuning technology, but sometimes require manual input. When you select a printer from the list of devices, the app will ask you to select your home Wi-Fi network from the list and enter a password.
Note that Xiaomi printer only supports 2.4 GHz. If your router is giving out 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz signals under one name (SSID), conflicts may arise, in which case it is better to temporarily separate networks in the router settings or use a 2.4 GHz guest network for initial setup.
Once you enter the password, the pairing process will begin, the indicator on the printer will flash quickly, signaling that you have tried the connection, if the password is entered correctly, the indicator will light up with a smooth blue or white light (depending on the model), and the application will appear status "Online".
If you have a connection error, the system will suggest you try again. Often the problem is with the characters in the Wi-Fi password or the network name that is too long. Simplify the network name, leaving only Latin letters and numbers if standard methods do not help.
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If you have a dual-band router, temporarily shut down 5GHz or create a separate 2.4GHz guest network to connect smart devices, which will eliminate frequency conflicts when set up.
Printing documents and photos from a smartphone
Once successfully connected, you can access the basic functionality. The Mi Home printer interface is intuitive. On the home screen, you'll see large buttons to select the document type: Photo, Document, Training Materials or Copy (if the model supports scanning).
To print photos, select an album in the phone gallery. The app will suggest you to select a size (for example, 6 inches or A4 format with margins) and the type of paper you use. It is important to correctly specify the type of paper you use in the settings so that the feed mechanism works correctly and does not chew sheets. For photo printing, choose Photomode, for texts - "Regular paper".
The document printing feature allows you to send PDF, Word and Excel files directly from the phone's file system or cloud storage. The app has a built-in converter that adapts document formatting to the size of a sheet so that text doesn't crop at the edges.
The remote printing feature is particularly noteworthy, because if you have an Internet connection, you can send a document to print from somewhere else in the city, and you can add a device to Family Sharing or generate a temporary code to print it from the sharing menu.
| Parameter | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | Up to 4800 x 1200 dpi | Use maximum for photo, 300 dpi for text |
| Speed. | Black: 12 ppm, Color: 6 ppm | Do not interrupt the printing of the middle of the page. |
| Formats | A4, A5, 6 inches (10x15 cm) | Check the tray before loading |
| Connection | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) | A stable router signal is mandatory |
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For the best quality of photo printing, always choose Xiaomi’s original photo paper and the appropriate mode in the app to ensure that the color calibration algorithms work correctly.
Working with AirPrint and wireless protocols
Apple ecosystem users will appreciate AirPrint’s support, which allows you to print directly from any app on your iPhone or iPad without having to open the Mi Home app. Just click the “Share” button in any document or photo and select “Print”.
The device is automatically detected on the network as an AirPrint-compatible printer. However, to work this function, the printer and Apple device must be on the same subnet. If you have a complex network infrastructure with VLAN or Client Isolation on the router, the AirPrint may not work.
For Android users, support for Mopria and Google Cloud Print services is available (via middleware, since Google’s direct service is abolished, but many Android smartphones have built-in drivers). In the phone settings, under Connections -> Print, you need to enable the Xiaomi or Mopria print plugin.
Sometimes you need to know. IP-The printer address for direct settings or diagnostics can be accessed via the Mi Home app: go to your device settings, select "Device Information" or "Settings" LAN". It'll be local. IP-an address that can be used to access the printer’s web interface (if the model supports) or to manually install the driver on a PC.
Diagnostics and problem-solving
Even the most reliable devices sometimes fail. The most common problem is that the printer becomes offline in the application, even though the Wi-Fi works. In this case, the first thing you should do is reboot the router and the printer itself. Often the device just loses its lease. IP-addresses or gets into conflict of addresses.
The second common problem is paper getting stuck. If the indicator catches fire in orange or red and the app reports an error, don't pull the paper by force. Open the back cover (if the design permits) or carefully remove the sheet in the direction of travel. Then close the cover and press the reset button (usually a long press of the power button or a separate Resume button).
⚠️ Warning: If the printer reports low ink levels but the print is still good, don't be in a hurry to change the cartridge. Shake the cartridge horizontally 5-6 Once and wipe the contacts with a dry, no-neck wipe, which often helps to "reanimate" the cartridge by several tens of pages.
Print quality issues (strips, pale color) are addressed through the application's "Printhead Cleanup" function. Run a deep cleaning if the usual one doesn't work. Remember that frequent deep cleaning consumes a lot of ink, so only use it when you really need it.
If the device is completely unresponsive and the lights are not on, check the power supply and cable. In rare cases, you may need to reset to factory settings. This usually requires pressing the power button and the Wi-Fi button simultaneously for 10 seconds until the indicator starts flashing orange.