new QPrinter() is slow (3-6 seconds) with some HP printer drivers on Windows 7

if (some?) HP printer driver is the default printer in Windows 7, new QPrinter() takes 3 to 6 seconds to execute, while the time is almost immeasurable if another printer is the default system printer.
This can be verified with the "Font Sampler" Qt example - if this printer driver is the system default one, the print dialog takes several seconds to open.
It doesn't make a difference if the printer is connected or not, and if it's installed with USB or WiFi.
The driver can be downloaded here:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=mp-71566-3&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&os=4063&productOid=3831738&sw_lang=
I think the printer is not required for installation.

Since my application displays the printer margins on screen, it experiences the slowdown at every startup which is quite a problem.