This may not help a ton of people, but it vexes me about once a year whenever I have to reinstall a printer for someone at my company that has to use OS9 Classic mode.

These steps are for installing a HP Laserjet 1320, but I imagine it would be a similar step for other HP printers.

Sorry for not taking screen shots, or explaining more thoroughly. I’m no longer at the computer I was working this on, so it’s from memory here.

1. Run the install program. Make sure that it installs the printer drivers for OS9. It normally does this by default. For the 1320, this is the program located here.

2. Now comes the tricky part. You need to use Desktop Printer Utility to install it, NOT the Chooser. Search for “Desktop Printer Utility” in the search bar. You’ll most likely find several items matching that description. In my case, I found 7 different files all with the same name. You want the one that is 600kb. It will most likely have a more recent date than the others. The other version is about 1000kb. Double click on it. (if you have the wrong version, it just won’t open up.)

3. It opens up with a create printer dialog. Select USB if you’re installing a USB printer.

4. Select the PPD file to use. Click Change to the right of the first box and find the one that matches your printer. The install program from step 1 should have installed this.

5. Make sure your printer is plugged in and turned on. In the next box (USB Printer Selection), click change and select the printer (it should show up if it’s plugged in).

6. Click OK. You’ll be prompted to name the printer. I named mine HP Laserjet 1320, but it’s whatever you want to use to identify the printer in the future.

You’re done! Hopefully it worked and you can now print from OS9. I make no guarantees that this will work for you situation, I’ve been angered many times by this situation and this is just the latest way I’ve figured out how to fix it.

Best of luck!