The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word LINOTYPE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
L
I
N
O
T
Y
P
E
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does LINOTYPE mean?
LINOTYPE noun- A form of typesetting machine in which a complete line of characters is set at once.
- The slug produced by such a machine, or matter composed in such lines.
- To prepare (printed matter) using a linotype machine.