'well-printed' originates from Modern English, combining the adverb 'well' (from Old English 'wel') and the past participle 'printed' of the verb 'print' (from Middle English 'printen', ultimately from Latin 'premere'), where 'well' meant 'in a good manner' and 'premere' meant 'to press'.

'well-printed' developed as a compound of 'well' + past participle forms such as Middle English 'well prynted' and eventually became the modern hyphenated adjective 'well-printed'; the verb 'print' came through Middle English 'printen' from Old French forms related to Latin 'premere'.

Initially the components referred to 'well' (in a good manner) and 'printed' (pressed or marked by printing); over time the compound came to mean specifically 'produced with clear, legible, or high-quality printing.'