I tried the steps and cannot use my F4280 w/ Linux

I have just bought a new pc, it is my first Linux time(gnome). I tried to download hplip from another site and "it" did not work. I also tried SYSTEM>ADMINISTRATION>PRINT and I have not been able to install my HP Deskjet 4280 All-in-One. At first the PRINT window would not open, I restarted twice and now the window is running. I tried many things and was not able to print a single page. (actually I printed one test page with the F4100 set up but it worked only once). How do I know if hplip is already in my computer? Can I download it anyway (from our site doing all the steps again)? Are there simpler and more direct ways to make F4280 work with Linux? Thanks a lot, Andre