QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

FORENSIC 3
WRITINGS AND SIGNATURE:
 System of Writing – is the combination of the basic shape and designs of letter
and the writing movement which was taught in school.
 Copy book form – is an illustration of the basic designs of letters that is
fundamental to the writing system.
 Writing movement – refers to factors relative to the motion of the pen such as,
pressure, rhythm, pen lifting, etc.
 Writing – is the visible result of a very complicated series of acts, being as a whole
or a combination of certain forms which are the very visible result of mental and
muscular habits acquired by long continued painstaking effort.
 Handwriting – is a visible effect of bodily movement which is an almost
unconscious expression of fixed muscular habits, reacting from fixed mental
impression of certain ideas associated with script form.
 Writing Habits – refers to any repeated elements of once handwriting which
serves as identifying characteristics.
 Significant Writing Habits – elements of one’s writing that are sufficiently unique
and well-fixed to serve as a strong basis of individuality.
 Slant = refers to the relative degree of writing inclination relative to the baseline.
 Baseline = an imaginary or straight line in which the writing rest.

TYPES OF HANDWRITINGS
1. Cursive – Writing in which the letters are for the most part joined together.
2. Hand lettering – refers to writing characterized by a disconnected style.
3. Natural Writing – a specimen of writing that is executed normally and without any
attempt of altering its usual writing habits.
4. Disguised – a specimen of writing executed deliberately with an attempt of
changing its usual writing habits in the hope of hiding one’s identity.
5. Guided/assisted – a specimen of writing executed while the writer’s hand is at
steadied. Usually employed by beginners in writing.

 Signature – a name of person signed by himself on a document as a sign of

acknowledgement.
 Model signature – genuine signature which has been used in preparing a simulated or
traced forgery.
 Evidential Signature – specimen signature which was executed in particular date,
particular time and place, under a particular writer’s condition and for a particular
purpose.

Classes of Signature
1. Formal or complete – used in signing very important document
2. Informal or cursory – used for routine document
3. Careless scribble – used for not so important document such as delivery of mail or
receipt of purchase equipment etc.

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 Forgery – is an act of falsifying or counterfeiting any treasure or bank notes, paper
bills or any documents which are payable to the bearer.
- is an act of simulating or tracing somebody’s signature without the latter’s
consent for profit.

Major Types of Forgery

1. Simple forgery – a forges signature where no attempt has been made to make a copy
or facsimile of the genuine writing of a person purported to sign the document. Also
known as spurious signature
2. Simulated or Copied forgery – a forged signature which resembles the genuine
signature written in free-hand. Considered as the most skillful type of forgery.
3. Traced Forgery – forged signature which closely resembles the genuine made by some
tracing process or outline form.

Methods of Tracing
a. Carbon outline process – used of carbon paper.
b. Indention process- used of considerable pressure, Canal-like process.
c. Projection or transmitted light process- used of light from the back or bottom.
d. Laser method – used of hologram.

CHARACTERISTICS IN WRITING:
Characteristics – refers to any property, marks or elements which distinguishes. Also
referred to as identifying details.

Types of characteristics:
1. Class Characteristics – characteristics or properties which are common or
which can be found in the specimen writing of other person. Gross characteristics.
2. Individual Characteristics – characteristics which are highly personal or
peculiar. That which is unlikely to occur in other’s handwriting.

Elements of Forms in Writing:

1. Arc – the rounded inner
part of an upper curve,
bend or crook,

2. Beard – is an
introductory up and
down strokes found in
some capital letters.
Also called as double

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hitch.

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3. Blunt – is a part of a
stroke characterized by a
abrupt beginning or end
at which the pen does
not creates a diminishing
strokes.

4. Buckle Knot is a
horizontal or loop
strokes used to complete
letters A, H, F and D.
5. Central Part – is the
body of the letter.
Characterized by a small
rounded or circular
strokes.
6. Ductus -link, Ductus-
broken- refers to the
connection between
letters, either joined or
disconnected.
7. Eyelet/ eyeloop – refers
to small oblong strokes.

8. Hitch – an introductory
backward strokes found
in most capital letters
and in some small
letters.
9. Hiatus = an obvious gap Jove lyne
between letters.

10. Humps – is the outer

portion of an upper
curve bend or crook,
(see arc)
11. Knob – is a tiny pool of
an ink at the beginning
or ending strokes.

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12. Loop – is an oblong
strokes

13. Stem/shank/staff – is
considered as the
backbone of the letter
characterized by a long
downward strokes
14. Initial/terminal Spur – a
long running initial or
terminal strokes.

15. Through – refers to any

garland form of a letter
strokes

16. Whirl – is the long

upward strokes usually
found opposite the stem
17. Embellishments – added
strokes that serves as an
ornamental or flourish to
the design of the letters.
They considered
unnecessary to the
legibility of the writing.
18. Diacritics = strokes
added to complete
certain letters. They are
necessary to the
legibility of the letters.

Writing Movement – refers to all factors relative to the motion of the pen.
Line Quality – is the visible records in the written strokes of the basic movements and
manner of holding instrument. It is derived from a combination of factors, including writing
skill, speed, rhythm, freedom of movement, shading and pen emphasis.
Types of movement:
1. Finger (used by beginners)
2. Hand (wrist serves as the point of pivotal & of limited freedom)
3. Forearm (most skillful type of movement)
4. Whole arm (used for ornamental or large writings)

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Elements of Writing Movement

1. Pen pressure – is the average or usual pressure applied in the writing.
2. Pen Emphasis – is the act of intermittently forcing the pen against the paper
surface with an increase in speed.
3. Rhythm – is the harmonious or balance recurrence of strokes or impulses.
4. Skills – refers to the degree of writer’s proficiency in writing
5. Speed – cannot be measured precisely from the finished handwriting but it can be
interpreted in broad term as to either fast, slow or moderate.
6. Pen-lift – an interruption is strokes caused by sudden removal of the writing
instrument from the paper surface.
7. Shading – refers to the more obvious increase in the width of the letter strokes.
8. Pen Position – is the relative location of the pen in relation to the paper surface.
9. Pen scope – represents the reach of the hand with the wrist at rest.
10. Retracing or retraced – is the strokes which goes back over another writing
strokes that is slightly to occur in other’s writing.
11. Retouching or patching – is a stroke, which goes back over a defective portion of a
writing to repair or correct an error.

FACTORS THAT AFFECTS WRITING CHARACTERISTICS:

1. Natural Variations – is the usual or normal deviation found in a repeated specimen
of an individual’s handwriting or in the product of any typewriter.
2. Transitory Change – are meant to those changes which only continue to exist
while the basic cause of the deterioration is still affecting the writer, once the such
cause has been removed from the writer, the writing will reverts in its normal
form.
3. Tremor – is the weakening of the strokes characterized by a wavering or shaky
strokes.
a. Genuine Tremor
a.1. Weakness of sickness
a.2 Old age
a.3. Illiteracy (lack of skills)
b. Tremor of Fraud
4. Writing Conditions – refers to all factors affecting the over-all quality of writing
such as the writer’s condition under which the writing was prepared.

5. Writing instrument
a. Ball point pen (John Loud) consisting of a ball bearing at the point of the pen.
b. Fountain pen (Lewis Watterman) consisting of pen nib point.
c. Fiber pen (originally designed by Hongkong)

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Miscellaneous Document Problem

1. Detection of Alteration
 Alteration - refers to any form of changes either an addition or a deletion to the
original content of the document which is not a part of its original preparation.

2. Decipherment of Erased Writings

 Erasure – refers to removal of a writings or any part of a document either by
mechanical or chemical process.
 Mechanical Erasure – done by means of abrasive method through rubbing or
scrapping.
 Chemical Erasure – done with the aid or use of bleaching agent called ink eradicator.
 Usually examined with the aid or fuming, transmitted light, oblique light and ultra-
violet light examination.
3. Decipherment of Obliterated writing
 Obliteration – is the process of smearing over an original writing to make it
undecipherable or illegible. Done with the used of superimposing inks. Usually
examined with the used of Infra-red light.
4. Examination of Charred Document and water soaked document
 Charred Document – refers to partly burned or brittle document. Decipherment is
usually accomplished with the used of infra-red light examination.
5. Development of Invisible writing
 Invisible writing – writing that has no readily visible ink strokes. Made by
Sympathetic inks such as acids, juice and others. They are possible of development
depending on the ink used. Methods of development can be by heat. Water,
chemical fuming or by ultra-violet light process.
6. Decipherment of Contract writing
 Contact writing – refers to partially visible ink strokes cause by sudden contact
between a sheet of paper with another paper containing fresh ink. Can be enhanced
through fuming or ultra-violet light process.

EXAMINATION OF TYPEWRITING

Definition of Terms:
1. Typeface – is the printing surface of the type block in a conventional typewriter. In
electric typewriter it is the printing surface of the rotating head sphere.
2. Typeface defect – any form of peculiarity of the type printing caused by actual
damage to
the typeface metal or which maybe an abnormality in its printing condition.
3. Characters – in connection to typewriting, it is used to include letters, symbols,
numerals or points of punctuation.

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4. Pica typeface – type face impression ordinarily spaced ten (10) characters to
the horizontal inch.
5. Elite typeface – type face impression ordinarily spaced twelve (12) characters to
the horizontal inch.
6. Proportional spacing machine – a typewriter with a type letter spacing similar to
the type spacing of conventional printed in which all letters are allotted horizontal
in conformity with their relative widths.
7. Transitory Defects – is an identifying typewriter characteristics which can be
eliminated
by simply cleaning the machine or replacing the ribbon.
8. Permanent Defects – any identifying typewriting characteristics of the type face
which cannot be corrected by simply cleaning the machine or replacing the
ribbon.
9. Mal alignment or alignment defects – refers to defect in the printing condition of
the type character in which the letters are printed either at the top or bottom,
left or right of inclined from its proper position.

Principal Technique Utilized in Typewriting Identification

1. Measure the type face pitch
2. Verify the type size and design (W-G-T)
3. Look for individual type face defects

Typeface Defects
1. Vertical mal alignment – a character printing above or below of its proper
position.
2. Horizontal mal alignment – an alignment defect in which the characters are
printed to the left or right of its proper position.
3. Twisted letters – letters and characters are designed to be printed at a certain
angle to the baseline. Once letters leans to the left or right of its proper position
such is called twisted letters.
4. Off-its-feet – is a condition of the type face printing at which then character outline
is not equally printed, that is the printing is heavier in one side than the remainder
of the outline of the character.
5. Rebound – typeface defect in which a character prints a double impression with
the lighter one slightly off-set to the right or left.
6. Actual breakage – any peculiarity of typewriting caused by actual damage to the
type face metal.
7. Clogged type face (dirty) – is a typeface defects characterized by dirty prints due
to constant used without cleaning of the type bar or due to use of new carbon.
These are common in closed letter outline such as o, a, p, g etc.

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