You just need to go into symantic and install this file.

To install a printer in Ubuntu you should first have the necessary printer
drivers (CUPS, HPLIP and gutenprint). CUPS comes pre installed and I am not
sure about the others. Then it should detect the printer
and automatically install the printer. It does for my HP Photosmart in any
Linux distro, However, my Brother laser is another story since it is
networked through a print sharer. So I have to install it manually.

To manually install a printer you go to Printing in the menus of older
Ubuntu or in Dash just type Print and it should come up. Go to Add New
Printer and follow the prompts. Eventually it will come to a list
of printer manufacturers and you just choose from the list.

This is the first choice, preferable to getting it from the OEM. You can
install from a PPD if that is the file type you have See:
https://wiki.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/Database/PPDDocumentation

If it is a binary file from the OEM then you have to make it executable
before you can execute it. To do that open nautilus and right click on the
properties and check the box to make it executable. Now when you open it
you have the option to execute and it should install.

Start Synaptic. Search for cups. I usually make sure that cups, hpijs,
and gutenprint are installed. At that point, every hp printer I have
connected has been autodetected. By the way, which version of Ubuntu are
you using and what is the model of hp printer?

The handling of driver in Linux is usually completely different from what you
are used to.

With the printer turned on, run a program called "printing". Click on "Add".
Your printer should appear in the list; click on it, then Forward, and proceed
until it is installed. In no time, your printer should be working.

What version of Ubuntu are you running?

I am *not* running Linux at all currently. My motherboard or power supply bit
the dust almost 2 weeks ago and I've been down-and-out in Beverly Hills LOL.

I purchased a nice used machine yesterday and it flies. I'm running Windows 7
on this machine and, although only 2 cores, with 3 GHz and DDR-2 ram, it flies.

Once I get settled in, I'll likely see what the partitions are on the beast
and install the latest version of Ubuntu.

I installed HPLIPS for a problem with a slow printer. I can print from almost
every program in 11.04, but I will be darned if HPLIPS can even see the Laserjet
1300. Since I can print, it doesn't matter too much, but why can't HPLIPS see
the printer?

BTW - the slow printer for printing web pages was a Firefox setting in Config.

From what I've read about HPLIP it was created to handle HP printers
that Linux did not detect automatically so perhaps it will ignore
those that *are* Linux friendly ?

Guess the main thing is that it's working OK