UNIT 3 ACTIVITY 

Handwriting​ Analysis 

In the past, forensic document examiners collected handwriting samples and 

compared them by hand. Today, imaging and comparison software lets document 
examiners compare many samples quickly—but they still have to make expert 
decisions on which samples match. It’s not as easy as it looks! 

In this activity, you’ll do some handwriting comparisons of your own to get a feel for 
this tricky but interesting line of work. 

First, let's start with some of your own handwriting. Using white notebook paper, 
write out the following paragraph in your natural style: 

It was a dark and stormy morning. We quickly arrived at the scene of the crime at 4:30 
a.m. and saw the suspect fleeing into the trees. Inside the house, a window was 
broken and a picture was askew. As lightning cracked overhead, we looked behind the 
frame to find the safe was empty. 

When document examiners look at a writing sample, they look for specific features 
like slant, crossings, alignment, and connections. Look closely at your sample and 
write down a few words or a brief sentence of observation about each feature: 

1. Slant: What is the slant of your writing? Does it slant right, left, or not at all? 
a. There is a slight slant in my style of writing. The slant tends to go more 
towards the right. 
2. Crossings and dots: Do you cross your t’s in a distinctive way? Dot your i’s? 
Describe them. 
a. From what I've noticed I don't have a specific way that I cross them and 
dot them. 
 3. Spacing: Are your spaces between words large or small? How about between 
letters? 
a. The spaces between my words are average  
4. Relative height: How tall are your c’s relative to your t’s? What other height ratios 
do you observe? 
a. My c’s are much smaller than my t’s but that's normal to me. 
5. Pressure: Do you press down hard when you write? Does the pressure vary? 
How? 
a. I tend to go light and it never changes. 
6. Unique features: Do any of your letters show unique or unusual features? 
a. No, none of my letters have any special characteristics. 

Now that you’ve analyzed your own handwriting, try comparing it to a friend’s or a family member’s. Have 
your partner write out the same paragraph that you wrote, preferably on the same surface and using the 
same pen or pencil and paper. 

1. How is your writing similar to your partner’s? How is it different? Pick at least three points from 

the list above to compare. (three to five sentences) 

a. My writing was very different compared to my partners. In their writing they had much 

larger spacing in between their words whereas mine were very small. The unique features 

that my writing includes a curvy cross in my g. Both my partner and my writing we both 

had the same amount of pressure when writing. 

2. Why is it important for your partner to use the same surface, pen/pencil, and paper as you did? 

(one to two sentences) 

a. It is important so we will end with the same results because we used the same everything 

besides the writer themselves we will be able to have the best accurate information. 

3. Try writing the first sentence of the paragraph with a different kind of pen/pencil or on a different 

surface. Compare the new sample to your original. Do you notice any differences? What are they 

and what do you think caused them? (two to three sentences) 

a. There are many differences from pressure to spacing. The pressure from using a pencil 

is much different than it was with a pen.