missing hp 1200 driver

I have a mid 2009 macbook pro running OS X.6.8. My HP 1200 worked fine with it until recently when the driver disappeared. I've downloaded a new driver, it seemed to download OK, but it's not showing up on the "add printer" list, or anywhere else for that matter.

Not sure I understand how a driver can disappear? Also, the driver is not going to show up in the printer list. Let's see if we can figure out what's happening....

Try this: Open System Preferences, Printers & Fax (I'm using Mavericks so the tabs may be different)

Highlight your HP 1200 printer and make sure you've selected it as the default. Now go to the right side of the dialog where the printer shows up and select "Options & Supplies".

You should then see a box with several choices, one of which will be "driver". Select that and scroll on down or up until you find the driver you installed. Make sure the driver is showing in that box and then close the dialog.

Try a test print to see if that worked. If not, you may have to completely remove the printer and reinstall it.

Thanks. I cannot highlight "HP 1200" in Printers and Fax because it's not there, or anywhere else I've looked.

OK, that means the HP 1200 has somehow been removed. Try reinstalling your HP 1200 from your original disk or software. After doing that, the driver will likely show up or it will just start to work. Let us know.

I've downloaded both from disk and HP, but it still doesn't show up.

OK, did you try this:

Open System Preferences, Print & Fax. On the left side of the box will be where the printer should show up. Click on the small + sign at the bottom of the box. Your HP 1200 should be listed there. If it does, click on it and that will start the installation.

It's not listed there or anywhere else.

If it was installed, it should be listed as soon as you click on that small plus sign. Let me see if I can figure something out....

OK, do this:

Open your Finder and make your way here:

Macintosh HD/Users/your user name/Library/Printers/

See if your HP 1200 is listed there and let me know.

not there.

If your printer didn't show up there, it's not installed. A quick check with HP at their website states that the HP 1200 software and driver is included with Mac OS X 10.6.X (Snow Leopard). I could not find a driver to download on their site. There may be a third party driver that might work. But what is strange is that you stated the driver disappeared and you downloaded a new driver.

I did download one from Gutenberg, but it didn't show up anywhere either. And I ran both startup disks that came with the computer.