The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word GUTENBERG
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
G
U
T
E
N
B
E
R
G
More clues leading to the result GUTENBERG
- Old printer's good German book in sickly green
- Beg urgent reforms for pioneering pressman?
- Printer has begun Roget in new format, missing nothing out
- He made press corporation go short, seizing billions
- Publisher has some work after reversing glitch with internal communications system
- Printing pioneer’s tenure disturbed by force on either side to accommodate boy
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Old printer'" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case old printer' = gutenberg.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.