Characters showing relief from disturbed rest slept round about
I believe the answer is:
letterpress
'characters showing' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to communication as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'relief from disturbed rest slept round about' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'about' could be 're' (regarding) and 're' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for letterpress that I've seen before include "Text, not illustrations; printing from raised type" , "Printing technique" , "reading matter" .)