Finding a working dot matrix printer may be the most expensive part!

My father recently retired his printer (Epson LQ-850) not because the printer had failed, but because driver support was lacking. We had used the same printer since ~1992. He was super bummed; he had stockpiled ribbons and still had a full box of tractor-feed paper.

The explanation he was given by the person in charge of administration on his university-department computer: At least on the system he was using, modern drivers expected a reply from the printer in response to commands, but apparently, the LQ-850 only receives commands but does not reply.

They still make and sell new ones. Niche market for them because they can print onto transfer paper (with or without putting ink onto the top paper).