MacBook Air and printer compatibility issues

So, I’m rocking a last year's MacBook Air and the most budget-friendly printer out there—an HP DeskJet 2320. Please, no judgment here, it was just what worked for my situation at the time!🕺 I’ve got the right USB cable plugged in, too. When I jump into System Preferences, the printer shows up perfectly on the list and says it's "idle."
But the second I actually try to print, the light on the printer starts blinking and... nothing. It just won't print.
I went ahead and installed the HP Smart app, but when I try to add the printer through there, it keeps telling me "USB not connected to printer."😠
I’ve tried everything to fix this—Googling, asking people who are way smarter than me—but honestly, nobody seems to have a clue how to solve this.🙂
I figured I’d throw it out here to see if anyone has any bright ideas, though part of me thinks it would be much better for my sanity to just gift this printer to my neighbor; she was just mentioning the other day that she really needs a new one!🤷

Which specific light is blinking exactly?
Check out starting from page 4... it lists all those different light combinations and what they actually mean.

Which version of macOS are you running?

The issue with Big Sur is that HP hasn't updated their drivers or the digital certificate yet...

You should be able to grab the drivers directly from the HP website; they're about 500 MB in size.

ironcyclist58 said:Which specific light is blinking?
If you check here, starting from page 4, there are several different light combinations listed along with what they might mean.

The author is working on the task. But he just can't seem to get it done! 😁

Drew Allen77 said:Which version of macOS are you running?

There’s an issue with Dell printers on Apple, mostly because Dell hasn't updated their drivers or digital certificates properly.

Try downloading the drivers directly from the Dell website; the package is about 500 MB.

Yeah, it's Apple. Version 11.5.2
I'll give that a shot, thanks! 👍