Help fix HP printer crash after today's HP Printer update?

Question

Installed the update for HP Printers on Software Update today. Cannot print from ANY application.
Partial of auto error message sent to Apple when trying to print from mail:
Process:         Mail [672]
Path:            /Applications/Mail.app/Contents/MacOS/Mail
Identifier:      com.apple.mail
Version:         4.5 (1084)
Build Info:      Mail-10840000~1
Code Type:       X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process:  launchd [92]
PlugIn Path:       /Library/Printers/hp/PDEs/hpPostScriptPDE.plugin/Contents/PlugIns/HPPrintSettin gs.bundle/Contents/MacOS/HPPrintSettings
PlugIn Identifier: com.hp.print.psdriver.HPPrintSettings
PlugIn Version:    19.1.0 (19.1.0b429)
Date/Time:       2012-08-13 12:30:47.085 -0500
OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549)
Report Version:  6
Interval Since Last Report:          2397347 sec
Crashes Since Last Report:           10
Per-App Interval Since Last Report:  18447685 sec
Per-App Crashes Since Last Report:   1
Anonymous UUID:                      BEA93EFF-A8E1-483B-8DCA-F9EEBFC37D8D
Exception Type:  EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000002, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread:  0  Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
Thread 0 Crashed:  Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
0   com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86daaa11 __HALT + 1
1   com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86d0c26d _CFStringCreateWithFormatAndArgumentsAux + 109
2   com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86d0c1d4 CFStringCreateWithFormat + 148
3   ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ee95a4 0x118ecb000 + 124324
4   ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ef495a 0x118ecb000 + 170330
5   ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ef943c 0x118ecb000 + 189500
6   ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ef9606 0x118ecb000 + 189958
7   com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86d05be6 __CFDictionaryApplyFunction_block_invoke_1 + 22
8   com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86d05ad5 CFBasicHashApply + 213
9   com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86d059cf CFDictionaryApplyFunction + 191
10  ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ecc88e 0x118ecb000 + 6286
11  ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ef949b 0x118ecb000 + 189595
12  ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ef8182 0x118ecb000 + 184706
13  ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ed339a 0x118ecb000 + 33690
14  com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86d115a2 __CFSetApplyFunction_block_invoke_1 + 18
15  com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86d05ad5 CFBasicHashApply + 213
16  com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff86d1155f CFSetApplyFunction + 191
17  ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ed0d6a 0x118ecb000 + 23914
18  ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ed05f4 0x118ecb000 + 22004
19  ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118ed025b 0x118ecb000 + 21083
20  ...nt.psdriver.HPPrintSettings          0x0000000118efbe9e 0x118ecb000 + 200350
21  com.hp.print.HPSmartPrint               0x0000000118ea59a6 SPPaperSizeValueIsCustom + 8738
22  com.hp.print.HPSmartPrint               0x0000000118e98a02 SPSetSettingDidNotChangeCallBack + 6408
23  ...nt.psdriver.hpPostScriptPDE          0x0000000118e0fcfb 0x118e0d000 + 11515
24  ...nt.psdriver.hpPostScriptPDE          0x0000000118e0ff82 0x118e0d000 + 12162
25  ...int.framework.Print.Private          0x000000010131bcef 0x10131a000 + 7407
26  ...int.framework.Print.Private          0x000000010131f662 0x10131a000 + 22114
27  ...int.framework.Print.Private          0x000000010133586d RunningAsRoot + 53856
28  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff816f0eda -[NSApplication sendAction:to:from:] + 95
29  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff816f0e39 -[NSControl sendAction:to:] + 94
30  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff8177c84b -[NSCell trackMouse:inRect:ofView:untilMouseUp:] + 1715
31  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff817ad37a -[NSButtonCell trackMouse:inRect:ofView:untilMouseUp:] + 555
32  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff8177b2f5 -[NSControl mouseDown:] + 624
33  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff816953a7 -[NSWindow sendEvent:] + 5409
34  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff815caafa -[NSApplication sendEvent:] + 4719
35  com.apple.mail                          0x00000001000347ec 0x100000000 + 215020
36  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff815616de -[NSApplication run] + 474
37  com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff8155a3b0 NSApplicationMain + 364
38  com.apple.mail                          0x00000001000025a4 0x100000000 + 9636
Thread 1:  Dispatch queue: com.apple.libdispatch-manager
0   libSystem.B.dylib                       0x00007fff854dac0a kevent + 10

Answer 1

FWIW - All apps crash when trying to print on HP (HP Laserjet CP1515N) - no obvious new drivers available at HP site for Mac. No route to contact HP - Basically you're on your own! - I noticed that the printer still worked fine on another Mac in the house - so I worked out that the issue is purely software related.
So I totally removed all refs to HP - reset all printers and went in to all library folders and deleted all residual HP files. I repaired permissions and then re-installed the printer. This turned out to be a pointless waste of time!
I upgraded to Mountain Lion and repeated the procedure above. Pointless!
What was I missing?
Anyway - I did a time machine restore of the same HP printer folder I had been deleting and repaired permissions again and voila! We are back in the game. Horray for Time Machine!
Glad it's all working again - though a little confused and dissapointed in the hours lost in the process.
Wondering if, when my other Macs do the same update, I will have to go through this again for each one?
Wouldn't it be better if the updates were actually beneficial to us rather than distructive?
Wouldn't it be good if the people issuing the updates actually got involved and addressed the issues rather than leaving us to fend for ourselves?
Feel a little miffed - especially with HP. They seem to offer support only for people within warrantee. Am I wrong to feel unsupportted?
Was it them that issued the update? I don't even remember it installing.
I don't expect anyone to answer really - I just thought I'd note this stuff in passing.