trouble installing usb printer with vista -- help!

hey guys. new to the forum and new to vista, so bear with me if i seem like a stranger in a strange land. here's the situation: i just bought an inspiron 530 with vista installed, and want to use my all-in-one photo 924 printer on the system. i didn't have the original software disc, so i downloaded the vista drivers from dell's support website and loaded up. i added the printer under the control panel's printer folder, configured it to use the virtual usb printer port, and tried to print from ms word. no luck -- it says the cpu can't communicate with the printer. to further complicate the issue, the scanner actually seems to be working just fine. anyone have any clues? vista experts, come hither! the peons need you.