I'd recommend making sure you have CUPS and gutenprint installed.
Then try adding a new printer via your desktop environments settings.
The exact location in the settings will vary from DE to DE, but somewhere in there should be an "Add printer" option - which should pop up a dialog asking you for the make/model of the printer.
Work through those dialogs and with any luck, there should be gutenprint drivers for your printer that are already available to CUPS.
If not, that would be the time to search the manufacturers website and support forums to try to find appropriate drivers.
Setting up the printer in the DE's settings has always worked for me. But perhaps I've just been lucky with the printers I've bought in the past, IDK?!