There's a big difference between "I want to make <thing>" and "I want to do <thing> that experienced individuals who know this rabbit hole and enjoy similar things but are scared of <thing>".
Fair enough. But individuals develop their own level of tolerance/dedication/grit through exposure. Let him Wireshark the shit of the USB connection to the 15yo printer. Lots to learn along the way.
I would put good odds against another similar model from the same manufacturer using 90% of the same drivers.