1. Plural of phototype; prints or images produced by a photographic process, especially early photomechanical reproductions.
Usage: technical; historical
2. In biology and genetics, organisms or specimens that are identical in appearance but may differ genetically; phenotypically similar individuals.
Usage: scientific; rare

Examples

• The museum's collection includes rare phototypes from the 19th century.
• Early phototypes were used to reproduce illustrations in printed books before modern offset printing.
• The botanist compared phototypes of the plant species to document visual variations.
• Phototypes of historical documents provided evidence for the research project.
• The archive preserved phototypes alongside original negatives for preservation purposes.