Characteristics of

Handwriting
 The handwriting identification
 It is common that handwriting of an individual
person maybe an object of forgery and
falsification.

 It is common that there are person who used

to deny their handwritings particularly in
signing documents.
 Principle of Similarity

 It derives from the fact that no two handwriting

execution of an individual is absolutely identical or
alike in terms of geometric figure

 More sufficiency of repeated handwriting

characteristics within primary controlling pattern
which will be indicative to an opinion of writing
execution by one and the same person.
 Development of Handwriting
• Step One (School Form Stage)
– Imitation
– Laborious and slow copying of the letter forms.
– Forms of each letter is the focus of attention

• Step Two (Progression/ Pre mastery Stage)

– Writing instead of drawing
– Focus of attention centered on the execution of various letters

• Step Three (Mastery Stage)

– Process of writing becomes more or less automatic.
– Writing becomes an unconscious coordinated movement
– Focus of attention is now on the subject matter to be written
• The manner in which writing is produced is shown
by itself, that is, the appearance of the writing
strokes will indicate where attention was focused
in the writing process.
• Where the writing is more or less automatic or
unconscious, as attention was focused on of the
subject matter and not on the writing process itself,
the careless abandon in the writing process will be
shown by free, coordinated strokes.
• On the other hand, forgery of simulated or copied
class is produced by a method similar to that
employed by a person learning how to write (a
pupil in following a copy).
 Psychological Basis of Handwriting
• The impulses to form a letter begin in the CORTEX.
• This center is a kin to brain areas that control vision, hearing
talking and walking, and it guides the muscles of the hand as they
weave through the complex movement that makes the words.
• Since writing begins in the mind, emotions and attitudes
influence how we write just as they influence how we walk and
talk.
• In writing, the pen or other writing instrument functions as an
extension of the hand. The fingers transmit to the pen the
directive impulses and the variation in the muscular tension that,
according to the nature of writer’s nervous organization, occur
during the act of writing.
• Hence, as each writer has his own way of holding his hand,
manipulating the pen, and exerting pressure, the same pen in
different hands will produce entirely different strokes
 Two groups of muscles that
function in writing
• Extensor muscles – pushes
up the pen forming the
upward strokes.
• a muscle whose contraction
extends or straightens a limb
or other part of the body.
• any of a number of specific
muscles in the arm, hand,
leg, and foot
• Flexor muscles – push
the pen to form
downward strokes.
• Flexor and extensor
muscles are combined
with lumbrical muscles
to form the lateral
strokes
 Movement or Manner of Execution
• It is related to the handling position of the
writing instrument that creates certain type
of motion affecting the quality of writing
done that includes specifically the:
– Skill;
– Hesitations;
– Tremors;
– Line quality; and
– Alignment
 Kinds of Movement

• Finger movement
• Hand movement or wrist movement
• Whole arm movement
• Forearm movement
• Finger movement
– Using the thumb, the first and slightly the third
fingers who are in the actual motion.

– Employed by children and illiterates.

– The result is of poor quality, lack of rhythm and

speed, letters are cropped
• Hand movement or wrist movement
– Comes from the wrist w/ the combination of
fingers.

– Wrist is the center of action

– Results may show;

• Regularity of lines and considerable speed.
• Forearm movement
– Letters are formed due to the action of the elbow,
forearm resting on the surface.

– Results are clear cut, fine quality

• Whole arm movement
– Movement of the shoulder, hand and arm with the
support of the table.

– Elbow is the center of action

– Results are
• Artistic design and similar to blackboard writing.
 Quality of Movement
• Clumsy, illiterate and halting
• Hesitating and painful due to weakness
and illness
• Strong, heavy, and forceful
• Nervous and irregular, smooth, flowing and
rapid, depending upon the motion of the
writing instrument and the manner of
execution the writer chose to employ
Identify Handwriting
Characteristics
 What is Handwriting Characteristics?

• Identifying handwriting characteristics is analogous to

the statement RECOGNITION OF IDENTIFYING DETAILS.
• Handwriting characteristics defined
– “It refers to any property or mark that distinguish and is
commonly referred to identifying details” (Kalalang,
2009)
• All handwritings contain or exhibit identifying properties
or elements which are known as CHARACTERISTICS or
IDENTIFYING DETAILS and can be identified through
their fundamental characteristics that relatively show the
authors individualities.
 Group of Handwriting
Characteristics

Individual or Personal
Characteristics

Common or Class
Characteristics
 Individual or Personal
Characteristics
– Introduced into the handwriting consciously or
unconsciously by the writer.
– Highly personal and peculiar
– Unlikely to occur in another persons handwriting
 Common or Class
Characteristics
– Conforms to the general style acquired when
learning to write and became fashionable due to
continuous writing and practice.
– Common to group or writers
– Examples are:
• Ordinary copy-book form
• Usual systematic slant
• Ordinary scale of proportion
• Conventional spacing
Are handwriting characteristics
inherited?
Are handwriting characteristics inherited?
• NO ! !
• Individual handwriting characteristics are acquired, not
inherited.
• The following are processes on how individual
characteristics are acquired:
– Outgrowth of definite teaching
– Result of imitation
– Accidental condition or circumstances
– Expression of certain mental and physical traits of the
writer as affected by education, by environment, and
by occupation.
 Principal factors governing handwriting
characteristics
• The examiner must recognize first the individual handwriting
characteristics of the writer, especially on the style or form of
writing –
– Script writing – any disconnected style of writing in which
each letter is written separately.
– Cursive writing – the writing is flowing, running, and the
letters are joined.
– Block style – letters of the alphabet are capitalized
 Principal factors governing handwriting
characteristics . .Cont.
After style of writing is recognized by the
examiner, next is to focus on the following
factors:
– Slant/slope
– Alignment
– Proportion
– Stroke structure
 Other factors which require similar
importance
• Movement in writing
• Variations in writing
• Line quality in writing
• Influence of the writing instrument in writing.
• Punctuation and diacritical marks in writing
• Embellishment and trademark in writing
• Boldness
The Common Individual characteristics

• It is the primary basis of document examination.

• It includes the following
• Body • Retrace
• Diacritics • Shoulder/hump
• Eye/eyelet • Staff or stem
• Connection • Spur
• Foot
• Arc/garlanded
• Baseline
• Beard/embellishment
• hiatus or pen jump
• • Buckle/bucklenot
Hook
• Initial stroke • Terminal stroke
• Loop • Patching or retouching
• Oval • Pen lift
Individual characteristics
• Diacritics – are elements added to complete a letter.
“t” crossing and dots of letters “i” and “j”.

• Body – the main portion of the letter when the upper

and lower projection, upstrokes and terminal strokes
and diacritics are removed
Individual characteristics
• Eye/eyelet – a minute or small loop or curve
formed inside the letter or inside the oval of
the letters “a”, “b”, or “o”.

• Connection – the stroke which connects two

stroke or letters
Individual characteristics
• Foot
– the lower part which rests on the baseline. The
small letter “m” has three feet and the small letter
“n” and “h” have two feet.
• Baseline
– an imaginary line where all the letters are
supposed to be aligned.
– The ruled or imaginary line upon which the writing
rests.
Individual characteristics

• Hiatus or pen jump

– A failure to complete a junction of a connecting stroke
without lifting the pen.
– The gap occurring between a continuous stroke without
lifting the pen.
– Such occurrences may be due to speed
• Hook
– The minute curve or angle which often occurs at the end of
the terminal stroke.
– This is an involuntary talon-like formation often found at the
commencement of the initial stroke or a terminal stroke.
– The terminal curves of the letters “a”, “d”, “h”, “u” is the
hook
Individual characteristics
• Initial stroke
– The first element of s stroke

• Loop
– An oblong curve such as found in small “f”, “g”, “l” and
letters “h” and “j”.
– It may be formed at the upper or lower part of the letter.
– It can be blind or open loop.
– Blind loop is the result of the ink having filled the open
space.
Individual characteristics
• Oval
– The portion of a letter which is oval in shape.
– The small letter “a”, “d”, “g”, and “q” contain oval.

• Retrace
– Any part of a stroke which is super imposed upon the
original stroke
– The stroke that goes back over the same writing stroke.
– Such as vertical stroke of the letter “d”, “t” while
coming downward from top to bottom
Individual characteristics
• Shoulder or hump
– Outside portion of the top curve
– The garland form of the letter as in small letter “m”
has three shoulders and the small letter “n” has
two, the small letter “h” has one.

• Staff or stem
– Any major long downward stroke of a letter that is
the long downward stroke of the letter “b” and “g”.
Individual characteristics
• Spur
– Short and horizontal strokes mostly found on a
small letter
– It may be short initial or terminal stroke.

• Arc/garlanded
– A curve formed inside the top curve or loop, as in
small letters “h”, “m” and “p”.
Individual characteristics
• Beard/embellishment
– A preliminary embellish initial stroke which usually
occurs in capital letters

• Buckle/buckle knot
– A loop made as a flourish which is added to the
letters as in small letters “k”, “f” or in capital
letters “A”, “K”, and “H”
Individual characteristics
• Terminal stroke
– The last element of the letter.

• Patching/retouching
– Going back over a defective portion of a writing stroke.
– Careful patching or retouching is a common defect of forgeries

• Pen lift
– An interruption in a stroke caused by removing the writing
instrument from the paper.
– Those who write with clumsiness or with difficulty, the pen is
raised frequently to get a new adjustment.
– Many writers lift the pen before a, c, t, d, and g.