Just FYI
It is not a matter of time, but just that printing press is not allowed on HW.
The lore version is that the kings - Can not remember exact title, but basically some really old deities that I can not speak too much off, cause I can not remember too much- But they have basically put on a handicap for research, making some inventions unaccessible, printing press is one of these.
So even if it fits the time setting on HW, it is still not a thing on HW.
Basically, these kings said "no printing press" and the Alteran people could not really do anything about it, so that is how it is.
Edit: Immortal kings was the name-
There is not a lot to find about them anymore, but they were big a long time ago, and that is the reasoning behind "no printing press" from what I can remember.
Otherwise, as state in a lore Q&A:
http://hollowworld.co.uk/threads/lore-history-faq.34053/page-14#post-639465
It's less pre-printing press and more that tech isn't allowed to reach a paradigm-shifting point. Ships behave about the same functionally up until ironclads and steamships. Stationary cannons exist as defenses and on ships, but more portable guns are a revolution in warfare. The printing press is the major one listed because its invention massively accelerated the speed at which knowledge spreads, and made it far easier to preserve it as well.