The
calotype process produced a translucent original negative image from
which multiple positives could be made by simple contact printing. This
gave it an important advantage over the daguerreotype process, which
produced an opaque original positive that could only be duplicated by
copying it with a camera. The use of paper as a negative meant that the
texture and fibers of the paper were visible in prints made from it,
leading to an image that was slightly grainy or fuzzy compared to
daguerreotypes, which were usually sharp and clear. In the 1850s
calotypes were replaced by the far more precise although cumbersome
collodion process that used glass plates as negatives.
