Group 2

• Questioned document examiners frequently

are called upon to analyze a single sheet or
multiple sheets of paper upon which there
are markings, handwriting, printing, and/or
graphics.

• Preliminary investigations of questioned

paper documents involve testing the color,
thickness, weight, weave pattern, and fiber
analysis in order to determine the source of
the paper. Further testing may involve the
examination of ultraviolet characteristics and
comparisons using instrumental analyses.
• Document examiners use scientific principles of
handwriting and ink analysis for examining the
different types of questioned documents.
Questioned Document Analysis by document
examiners includes handwriting examination and
the analysis of several other features of the
questioned document.
What is Forensic Document Examination?
Forensic Document Examination (FDE) is a forensic
science discipline in which expert examiners
evaluate documents disputed in the legal system.
“Documents” may be defined broadly as being any
material bearing marks, signs or symbols intended
to convey a message or meaning to someone.
Qutioned document examinations involve a
comparison of the document, or aspects of the
document, to a set of known standards (i.e.,
authentic specimens).

The goal of the forensic document examiner is to

systematically evaluate the attributes and
characteristics of a document in order to reveal
how it was prepared or how it may have been
modified.
Preservation and Packaging of Tools
1. All areas on recovered tools, which contain building
materials, transferred paint, or other contaminants,
among others, should be wrapped in paper and
packaged properly to prevent the prying blades or
cutting edges from contacting any other surface or
object,

2. Test marks should never be made prior to

laboratory examination. This can alter the tool and
make the examination worthless. Moreover, traces of
transferred paint or other stains on the tool may be
lost or additional material may be transferred to the
tool, thus harming its integrity as a piece of evidence
3. The whole object must be submitted to the
laboratory. If this is not possible, the
investigatorcarefully photographs and sketches the
area containing the mark. The photograph can assist
in determining how the mark was made.

4. Casts of tool marks are made by a person who has

had considerable experience in this work. Poor casts
are useless for comparison purposes, and some marks
can be damaged if improper methods are used.
5.The object containing tool marks should be packed
properly so that no alteration or damage will occur
during shipment. Small objects should be wrapped
with clean paper and placed in envelopes or boxes,
while important areas on larger objects can be
protected with paper. Meanwhile, large objects can
be packed in cartons or crates.
Problem encountered in analysis of paper
Paper Analysis:
To analyze means to break a topic or concept down
into its parts in order to inspect and understand it,
and to restructure those parts in a way that makes
sense to you.
The chemical composition of paper, as well as
features imparted to it during the manufacturing
process, facilitates the identification and
characterisation of paper.
Paper analysis may provide complementary
evidence towards establishing the authenticity of a
document, also involve detecting anachronisms in
the components of the paper substrate if it is
suspected that the document has been recently
fabricated and backdated many years.
A Problem Analysis investigates a situation/problem
in order to allow the researcher to understand
more fully the problem, in order to recommend
practical solutions for solving it.(This may be the
case when you investigate your problem
ANALYSIS OF INK
 Importance of Ink Analysis in Forensics

Ink analysis plays an essential role in the investigation

of questioned documents, including forged checks,
wills, or altered records. The chemical composition
can be revealed by laboratory analysis, and the
results can help determine whether there have been
any additions or alterations made to a document.
 Analysis of Inks.

1.Spectrometry: The main method of non-destructive ink

analysis is microspectrophotometry, which involves scanning
the ink with ultraviolet or infrared light to record its spectra
(i.e., the wavelengths of light absorbs. Some inks emit light
upon exposure to UV light, while others disappear Each type
of ink produces a distinct spectrum when exposed to UV and
visible light. Using this method, the spectrum of the ink on
the document can be compared with the spectra of standard
nks. Other non-destructive or minimally destructive methods,
such as Raman spectroscopy, can also be used to supplement
microspectrophotometry. This method can be very
informative in scanning the document with infrared light. This
is because ink is invisible at high frequencies, but pencil marks
that may lie underneath will still show up.
2. Microscopic Analysis

Using this method, the investigator can see slight

changes in ink color that are not visible to the naked
eye. Such changes could indicate alterations,
obliteration, and overwriting. The ink itself is analyzed
by non-destructive or destructive testing, depending on
whether a sample must be taken from the document,
which could inevitably alter it. In this case, it would be
better to try the non-destructive approach first, so that
the document is left intact.
 Chromatography

Chromatography means “writing with colors.” The

main method of destructive testing of ink is known as
thin layer chromatography (TLC). Although TLC does
not really destroy a document if done with care, a
photographic record of the original document should
still be taken before the procedure is started. Here, a
tiny sample of the inked paper is punched out using a
thin and hollow needle such as a hypodermic syringe.
The investigator avoids places where the pen
has changed direction or where ink lines meet to
avoid interference with subsequent handwriting
analysis. Then, the sample is placed in a test tube
with a solvent that dissolves the ink, after which a
tiny spot of the sample solution is placed on a strip
of paper, alongside spots from various reference ink
samples. The paper is placed in a beaker containing a
small amount of another solvent. This is positioned
so that the paper dips into the solvent but the spots
of sample remain dry. Then, the solvent is drawn up
the paper through capillary action and the sample
spots move up with it
The end result with TLC is a pattern of colored
spots, known as a chromatogram, for each ink.
Different inks have different chromatograms. If the
sample ink has the same chromatogram as a
reference ink, it suggests similarity and from it,
identification can be made. The United States Secret
Service has a reference ink database and the U.S.
Treasury has a database of ink TLCs that they use for
reference.
Another technique, high performance liquid
chromatography(HPLC), can be used as an
alternative to TLC. HPLC involves injecting the ink
sample onto a long, thin metal column that is then
washed over with a mixture of solvents, thus
carrying the ink components one at a time to an
electronic detector. Non-destructive and destructive
methods of analysis can identify more than 90% of
ballpoint pen inks
TYPE OF INKS
 What is Ink?

Ink refers to a mixture of dyes and pigments, either

in liquid or paste form. This is used to color a surface
in order to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is
also used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, or
quill. Thicker inks that come in paste form are used
in letterpress and lithographic printing purposes.
Four Components of Inks

•Vehicles (binders)
The liquid component of ink that holds the pigment and binds the
pigment to the printed surface (or substrate) after drying.

•Colorants
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colourant,
such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce
an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a
pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicker inks, in paste form, are used
extensively in letterpress and lithographic printing.
•Additives
make up only a few percent of the total ink, but may have tremendous
effects on the performance of the ink. They are the best part of the
manufacturers' know how.
Additives include
• Optical brighteners
• Driers
• Anti-skinning agents
• Thixotropy promoters
• Adhesion promoters
• Waxes
• Plasticizers
• Surfactants
• Defoaming agents
• Biocides
• Deodorants
•Carrier substances
Tattoo Ink Carrier: tattoo ink consists of pigments
and a carrier. The carrier may be a single substance
or a mixture. The purpose of the carrier is to keep
the pigment evenly distributed in a fluid matrix, to
inhibit the growth of pathogens, to prevent clumping
of pigment, and to aid in application to the skin.
Four Classes of Ink

•Aqueous
These are water-based inks that have two varieties
called Dye and UV. The dye inks are mixed with water
when applied and then the water evaporates to leave
the ink behind. The advantage is the bright colors
that it can deliver. However, these types of inks will
fade rather quickly under the ultraviolet rays of the
sun, so they are best kept indoors.
•Liquid
One of two primary classifications of printing inks,
characterized by low viscosity and a fairly watery
body. Liquid inks are commonly used in gravure and
flexographic printing processes.
•Paste
One of two primary classifications of printing inks,
characterized by high tack and high viscosity. Paste
inks are commonly used in letterpress, lithographic
and screen printing processes.
• Powder
Usually stored in a single cartridge, printer toner is a
powder-based print medium made from granulated
plastics that allows for greater accuracy and control.
Toner powder is collected and then transferred to
paper by the charged printing drum
 Pigments

Pigments are solid or opaque particles suspended in

ink to provide color. Qualities such as hue,
saturation, and lightness can vary depending on the
source and type of pigment. Pigment inks are used
more often than dyes because they are more color-
fast; however, they are also more expensive, less
consistent in terms of color, and have a limited color
range compared with dyes.
 Dyes
Dye-based inks are generally much stronger than
pigment-based inks and can produce more vivid
colors of a given density per unit of mass. However,
dyes are dissolved in the liquid phase and have the
tendency to soak into paper, making the ink less
efficient and allowing it to “bleed” at the edges.
Dye-based inks are often made with solvents that dry
rapidly; these are also used with quick-drying methods
of printing, such as blowing hot air on the fresh print.
Other methods include harder paper sizing and more
specialized paper coatings— the latter is particularly
suited to inks used in non-industrial settings (i.e., must
conform to tighter toxicity and emission controls), such
as inkjet printer inks. Another technique requires coating
the paper with a charged coating. Here, if the dye has
the opposite charge, it is attracted to and retained by
this coating as the solvent soaks into the paper.
Cellulose, the woodderived material of which most
types of paper are made of, is naturally charged, and so
a compound that complexes with both the dye and the
Paper’s surface facilitates retention at the surface. This
compound is commonly used in inkjet printing inks.
An additional advantage of dye-based ink systems is that
the dye molecules can interact with other ink ingredients,
thus producing more benefits compared with pigmented inks
from optical brighteners and color-enhancing agents that
have been designed to increase the intensity and appearance
of dyes.

A more recent development in dye-based inks is the

invention of dyes that react with cellulose to permanently
color the paper. Such inks are not affected by alcohol, water,
and other solvents. Thus, they are recommended for use in
preventing frauds that involve removing signatures, such as
check washing. This kind of ink is commonly found in certain
fountain pen inks or gel inks.
Determination approximate age of documents
Questions of age of the document enter into study of
disputed documents in many ways.The most
common enquiry is whether the document is
actually old as its date would indicate.But
sometimes it is important to show the probable date
of an undated document. Several documents or
writings bearing different dates are not actually of
the same age. Forged documents are sometimes
made to look old in order to make them appear
genuine.
In order to make documents old they are sometimes
soiled, wrinkled, discolored, and unnecessarily
foldedand crumpled in a manner that shows quite
clearly a deliberate effort to give the document
aworn look and aged appearance. In artificially aged
documents there are certain inconsistencieswhich
are perfectly apparent when pointed out.
For e.g.: the inside of the document is moresoiled
than the outside. The actual age of the document is
ascertained by the study of all the means by which
it was produced and the actual conditions under
which the document was kept. The age of a
document can be roughly estimated by using the
following:
1. Content of the documents(phraseology, chronological
significance,
2. tense.
3. Paper.
4. Ink
5. Typewriting
6. Printed matter
7. Marks of writing Instrument
8. Handwriting and Signatures
9. Chance Marks
10. Envelopes
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