Alex Ruben
How To Enable WiFi Direct on HP Smart Tank 585 and Fix Mobile Print Issues
Dealing with a printer that’s stubbornly showing as offline or just not playing nice with mobile printing? Yeah, been there. Sometimes it’s as simple as turning on WiFi Direct, but of course, HP decided to keep that tucked away in some obscure menu. This guide’s here to make that process clearer, plus throw in some tips if things aren’t smooth sailing. After stepping through these, the hope is you’ll get that wireless magic working and save some headache, especially when printing from your phone or tablet.
How to Enable WiFi Direct and Tackle Printer Offline Problems
Activate the WiFi Direct Button
First off, find that Wi-Fi Direct button on your printer’s control panel. Usually, it’s a dedicated button or sometimes a menu option. If you can’t find it, poke around in the Settings menu > Wireless > Wi-Fi Direct. Turning it on here is essential for making that direct connection happen. On some setups, the button might be labeled “Direct” or have a Wi-Fi icon with a little arrow.
Turn on WiFi Direct and Confirm
Press the button, or toggle it in menu. The indicator light should illuminate or blink, meaning WiFi Direct is active. If it doesn’t light up, check if your printer has a firmware update pending—sometimes, outdated firmware causes weird connectivity quirks. Once activated, the printer essentially acts like a wireless hotspot, ready for your device to connect.
Print the WiFi Direct Info Page
Next, to get your device hooked up, print the info page — this gives you the SSID (network name) and password. For HP printers like the Smart Tank 585, press and hold the Information button (maybe marked with an “i”) for about 3 seconds. The printer then spits out a page with details like “DIRECT-xxxx-HP-585” and a password. Because of course, Windows and HP have to make it just complicated enough to forget how simple it should be.
Connect Your Phone or Tablet
Open your device’s Wi-Fi settings, look for a network name starting with “DIRECT-“, then tap to connect. On some phones, it might automatically jump into connecting mode if you’ve previously saved the network—but sometimes you have to manually select and enter the password from the printed page.
Type in the WiFi Direct Password
Enter the password exactly as printed. No sneaky autofill, or you’ll end up stuck. On kinda weird days, sometimes the connection refuses unless you restart the device or toggle Wi-Fi off and on. Don’t be shy about re-trying, it’s frustrating but often just a timing issue.
Prepare for Printing
Open what you want to print on your device. Use the share menu or select Print and pick your HP Smart Tank 585 from the list. If it doesn’t show up, verify that your device is still connected to the “DIRECT-…” network — it’s a common gotcha.
Select the Printer and Send the Job
Tap on the printer name, adjust your print settings if needed, then hit Print. At this point, the document or photo should start printing without further fuss — provided everything is connected right. The key is that the direct connection bypasses Wi-Fi network issues, which, honestly, can be a nightmare sometimes.
Dealing with Troubles?
If things aren’t smooth, some quick troubleshooting can help:
- Double-check your printer’s Wi-Fi Direct is still active — sometimes it turns itself off after a reboot.
- Make sure your device is connected to the correct Wi-Fi Direct network, not your main Wi-Fi.
- Re-enter the password carefully; a typo will cause everything to fail.
And yes, on some machines, this process might fail the first time around, but trying again after a reboot or resetting the printer’s network settings sometimes helps.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
If nothing’s working, consider resetting WiFi Direct:
- Go to Settings > Wireless > Wi-Fi Direct and look for an option like Reset or Restore Defaults.
- If the printer still shows offline, disable WiFi Direct, reboot the printer, then re-enable it.
And a note: check your router and network environment, because interference or outdated firmware can cause all sorts of weirdness. Sometimes, just updating the printer firmware or reinstalling the printer driver helps, especially on Windows.
Summary
- Find and activate WiFi Direct on the printer
- Print the info page, connect your device to that network
- Enter the password to establish a direct link
- Print away — easy once it works
Wrap-up
This whole WiFi Direct dance can be frustrating, but once set up, it’s a handy way to print without bothering with your Wi-Fi router. It’s kind of weird how HP doesn’t make this super obvious, but hey, that’s tech for ya. If it didn’t work at first, give it another shot after rebooting or resetting the network. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone, instead of turning into a full-blown headache.