Hewlett Packard said on Tuesday that it has worked closely with Apple to make a smooth transition to Leopard by including over 1,000 printer drivers in Leopard, out of the box. In addition, printer driver updates will now appear in Mac OS Xis Software Update. The notes were in HPis quarterly newsletter.

"...it will not be necessary to download or reinstall any additional driver software for print functionality [in Leopard.] Additionally, for the first time, Apple will enable users to update and download HP drivers through Apple’s software update process," HP said.

Regarding HP scanning or peripherals with HP Photosmart software, HP added, "For HP peripherals with scanning features and/or HP Photosmart Studio software (including HP’s All-in-Ones, Photosmarts, Scanjets, Multifunction Printers and Cameras), HP plans to release software updates within 30-60 days that will be Mac OS X v10.3, v10.4 and v10.5 compatible. HP has already released Leopard updates for these five HP Photosmart All-in-One models: C3180, C4180, C4280, C5180 and C5280."

The addition of HP printer drivers to the Mac OS X Software Update will be a welcome addition to the ease of use of Leopard. More information for Mac customers is at HPis Mac Website.