printer still won't print

This is getting really frustrating. so here it is, I installed an HP Deskjet 1000 printer. I'm running Ubuntu 10.10. The computer recognized the printer and installed the appropriate drivers (although it sees it as an HP deskjet 1000C and i don't think my actual printer has the C). my computer says that hplip version 3.10.6 is there I checked via command line. there is a green check mark on the printer icon in the printer/local host window. but when i try to print anything the only thing it does is make the green light on the printer get brighter as if it's waking up. and that's it. And yes there's paper in the printer.

and P.S. when I first installed Ubuntu about a month ago it wouldn't print from my old Lexmark printer either. but as a newbie I assumed that my old printer was just incompatible with Linux. then I tried an old dell printer i had laying around. still nothing. so far I haven't gotten anything to print from Ubuntu

Bill