'rough-printed' originates from English by combining the adjective 'rough' (from Old English 'ruh', meaning 'coarse, rough, hairy') and the verb 'print' (from Middle English 'prenten', from Old French 'preindre', ultimately from Latin 'premere' meaning 'to press').

'rough-printed' developed as a compound in Modern English from the earlier elements 'rough' (Old English 'ruh') and 'print' (Middle English 'prenten'); the components referred respectively to 'coarse' and 'to press/mark', and were later joined to describe prints made in a coarse or preliminary way.

Initially the elements described 'coarse' and 'press/mark'; the compound originally described prints produced by pressing roughly or as trial proofs, and it has come to mean 'printed crudely' or 'printed as a preliminary proof' in modern usage.