Xiaomi Mi Pocket Printer Review

The newly launchedXioami Mi pocket pic printeris a minimized version of the elderMijia Smart Portable Printer . However , this one does n’t require a cartridge or a continuous power source . Moreover , it use a2×3 column inch ZINK paperwhich is not proprietary and readily available on Amazon . So , with all these perquisite is the Xiaomi photo printer deserving it ? Foremost , are sac photo printer worth it ? . Well , I have had my fair share of print time with the Xiaomi pocket printer and here ’s my review on it .

Before we get down the review , I would care to treat that the Xiaomi Pocket Printer is not globally available . Hence , the setup of the equipment with the Mi Home app is slenderly different .

Mi Home app connectivity

firstly the intact manipulation of the Xiaomi Photo pocket pressman is done via theMi Homeapp . The app is only uncommitted for the Android and iOS platforms . Hence , you’re able to not release prints from Windows or macOS . just download and instal the Mi Home app wo n’t find the Mi Pocket printer . You have to change the app fix to Mainland China . To do that , head over to the Profile discussion section in the app and dab on preferences . At the bottom of the setting page , you have the Region option . dab on it and change it to “ Formosan mainland ” .

changing region in the mi home app

Changing the neighborhood in the Mi Home app will remove previously tie in devices , app data , and preferences .

With the set up out of the way , get ’s go ahead with the gimmick review .

1. Design & Portability

The pocket printer is alone made up of ABS charge plate and has a white shiny finish to it . The size of it dimensions are quite close to a 10000 mAh power bank so it does easily go in your pocket . But it ’s extremely improbable that you would want to carry it that way . However , it is quite convenient to carry it in a jacket or a backpack . The showy white finish , however , does descend with a few pitfall . The printer is quite prone to scratches , so harsh handling might leave to a lot of scratches and scuff .

2. Print Quality

The Mi Pocket Printer usesZINK paperswhich is a proprietary engineering developed byZINK technologies . Initially used in Polaroid , the ZINK papers are made for printers that do not necessitate cartridges and can publish in one go . In this mechanics , the ZINK newspaper itself carries all the colouring in the form of the Cyan - Magenta - Yellow stratum . The pressman then uses heat to imprint the color image on the paper . ZINK papers also have an adhesive back grant them to dumbfound on any surface .

Coming back to the printer itself , you get 5 ZINK papers from Xiaomi within the box . I found the print quality to be quite second-rate . In a few pictures , the blues were overpowering in the apparition whereas all the publish image looked consistently faded and overexposed . However , this could be an extremely personal preference as I opt more contrasty picture .

Barring that , the print on the paper looked strong . The print is generated in a single - go and has a glistening coat which not only prevents fingermark but also makes the color more long-lived . The color is waterproofed to an extent however , the newspaper may get marshy if immersed in water for a long time .

xiaomi-pocket-photo-printer-design

For a near photographic print character , check that the image is more than 1560 x 1040 px or 1.6 MP .

To try out the photo quality of the Mi Pocket printer , we print the same image both on the Mi Pocket printer and HP laser printer . The print resolution of the HP printer was 1200 DPI whereas the Mi pressman has a print settlement of 300 DPI . Below are both the images side - by - side .

3. AR Photos & Other Features

The Mi Home comes with a flock of extra features like AR videos and AR sound . The AR photos allow publish a video on paper which require to be more than 3 secs . The actual newspaper has a photo on it which while scan under the Mi Home app will play the original video . likewise , you could also immortalize music or audio message with exposure . The only problem with the AR photo and sounds is the printing process outgrowth . The app fail a pot of time during the video encryption and upload process . However , this is a software take and can be fixed with a software system update .

My favorite lineament is the Headshot photograph which quickly lets you publish Passport - sizing photos of variable sizes . Apart from these , you also have the option to produce photo collages or the popular Instagram control grid splits .

4. Battery & Paper Availability

The Mi Pocket printer has a rechargeable battery and charges via micro - USB . I printed some 15 odd photograph until the battery exhausted and I had to charge the gimmick again . So presumably , it can print around 20 photos on a unmarried full mission . gratefully , you could instantly charge the printing machine via a magnate bank . Moreover , the printing machine is accessible and can print photos even while it ’s charging .

aside from the in - boxwood papers , I receive a ring of 20ZINK paper from HPfor around $ 8 . So , the per photographic print price boils down to less than 40 cents . ZINK paper are also sold by other manufacturers aside from Xiaomi and HP , you just have to make certain they are 2×3 column inch to be compatible with the Mi Pocket Printer .

Closing Words

With the likes ofHP sprocketandCanon Hedera helix pocketprinters priced around 100 $ , the Xiaomi photo printer seems to be competitively priced around $ 50 . Most of the features and print quality of the Mi pressman seems to be on par with the contender . Having say that , I slightly favour the contrasty color of Canon Ivy but this is extremely immanent . I would advocate getting the Xiaomi Mi Pocket printer

Xiaomi Mi Pocket Printer Review – Are Pocket Photo Printers Worth It?