QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS TIMELINE

1609 - The first treatise on systematic document examination was published by Francis Demelle of
France.

1810 - The first recorded use of questioned document analysis occurred in Germany. A chemical test for a particular ink
dye was applied to a document known as Konigin Hanschritt.

Gilbert Thomson (1859 – 1941)

• 1882 – Gilbert Thompson, a railroad builder with the US Geological Survey in New Mexico, put his own
thumbprint on wage chits to safeguard himself from forgeries.
• 1894 – Alfred Dreyfus of France was convicted of treason based on mistaken handwriting identification by
Bertillon.

• 1910 – Albert S. Osborn, an American and arguably the most influential document examiner, published
Questioned Documents.
Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935)

• The French army officer Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935) was unjustly

convicted of treason. The effort, eventually successful, to clear his name divided French society and
had important political repercussions.
Alfred Dreyfus was born at Mulhouse on Oct. 9, 1859, into a Jewish textile-manufacturing family. After the
Franco-Prussian War his family left Alsace in order to remain French citizens. Choosing a military career,
Dreyfus entered the Ecole Polytechnique in 1878. After further study, during which he attained the rank of
captain in 1889, he was assigned as a trainee to the general staff. Dreyfus was a competent and hardworking,
though not brilliant or popular, young officer. His ordeal was to prove that he was a man of great courage but
limited vision: his whole life was devoted to the army, and he never lost confidence that it would recognize
and remedy the wrong done.

Father of QDE

• Born: 1858
Died: 1946
Cause of death: unspecified
• Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Scientist
• Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Questioned Documents
• The first American prominent in the field of forgery detection, and author of the seminal Questioned
Documents (1910, reprinted many times), an exhaustive work indispensible even today. By his efforts,
courts began to accept the presentation of forged documents as scientific evidence. He founded the
American Society of Questioned Document Examiners on 2 September 1942. Osborn also designed a
comparison microscope which was later manufactured by Bausch & Lomb.
• Son: Albert D. Osborn (forged document analyst)
• Author of books:
Questioned Documents (1910, nonfiction)
The Mind of the Juror as Judge of the Facts, or, The Layman's View of the Law (1937, nonfiction)
 THE HISTORY OF DOCUMENT EXAMINATION

The science of document examination as we now know it today dates back only to around the
turn of the century. Its development both in the field and acceptance by the courts are largely due to
the efforts of an American, Albert S. Osborn and an Englishman, Wilson R. Harrison. Their texts
“Questioned Documents” and “Suspect Documents” are still considered by contemporary document
examiners to be the definitive works on the subject.
In the book, “The Law of Disputed and Forged Documents”, J. Newton Baker states that,
“Forgery was practiced from the earliest times in every country where writing was the medium of
communication”.

By 1854 the slow and staid British system of justice finally started “getting its act together”. The
comparison of handwriting was allowed in civil cases. By 1865 all restrictions were lifted to allow for
the comparison of handwriting in criminal cases.
From these beginnings the science of document examination developed.

DOCUMENT

• Document refers to any material, which contains marks, symbols, or signs either visible, partially visible
or invisible which furnish information or ultimately convey meaning to another person. Document is in
the form of pencil, ink writing or printing on paper.

Questioned Document

• Refers to any material, which some issue has been raised or which is under scrutiny

A document is questioned because of its origin, its contents, or the circumstances and story regarding
its production arouse suspicion as to its genuineness or may adversely scrutinized simply because it
displeases someone.
A “questioned” document is any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or other mark whose
source or authenticity is in dispute or doubtful. Letters, checks, driver licenses, contracts, wills, voter’s
registration, passports, petitions, threatening letters, suicide notes, and lottery tickets are the most
common questioned documents.
 Forensic Document Examiner
Studies scientifically the details and elements of documents in order to identify their source or discover other
facts concerning them

Graphology/Grapho-analysis in strict sense, examine handwriting and interpret the character or

personality of the writer by the traits behind in the written line. They do not, by definition,
compare handwriting to determine authorship or genuineness of the document

Questioned Document Examination

Questioned document examination (QDE) is known by many names including forensic document
examination, diplomatic, handwriting examination, and sometimes handwriting analysis, although the
latter name is not often used as it may be confused with graphology. Likewise a forensic document
examiner is not to be confused with a graphologist, and vice versa. The questioned document division
of a crime lab is sometimes referred to as “QD” in popular media. The task of forensic document
examination is to answer questions about a disputed document using a variety of scientific processes
and methods

The examination of questioned document falls into two broad classes

Criminalistics Examination – for detection of forgeries, alterations and obliterations.

Handwriting Identification – to find out who is the author of the writing.

Scientific Handwriting Examination consists of three essential phases, namely;

Recognition of characteristics (analysis)

Complete comparison of all characteristics (comparison)
Correct interpretation of characteristics (evaluation

Processes in Scientific Method of Examination

Analysis – properties or characteristics are observed, measured and determined.

Comparison – properties or characteristics of the unknown items is determined thru analysis and compared
with the familiar or recorded properties of known items.
Evaluation – similarities or dissimilarities in property or characteristics that have certain value for
identification are determined by their likelihood or occurrence
Many examinations involve a comparison of the questioned document, or components of the
document, to a set of known standards. The most common type of examination involves handwriting
wherein the examiner tries to address concerns about potential authorship.
Documentary Evidence
Documentary evidence is any evidence introduced at a trial in the form of documents. Although
this term is most widely understood to mean writings on paper (such as an invoice, a contract or a
will), the term actually include any media by which information can be preserved. Photographs, tape
recordings, films, and printed emails are all forms of documentary evidence.

Charred Document It is a partially damaged document due to exposure to heat.

A charred document sits in the soot in the area near the destroyed World Trade Center 12 September 2001 in
New York. September 11, 2008 marks the seventh anniversay of the terrorist attacks in New York City, at the
Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania

Document Examiner
A person conducting examination of documents to prove the falsity and or authenticity

DISTINCTION BETWEEN A FORENSIC DOCUMENT EXAMINER AND A

GRAPHOLOGIST/GRAPHO-ANALYST
Forensic Document Examiner studies scientifically the details and elements of documents in
order to identify their source or discover other facts concerning them. Document examiners are often
referred to as handwriting identification experts, but today the work has outgrown this latter title and
involves problems other than just the examination of handwriting. Aspects of document evidence
may include handwriting, hand printing, typewriting, typewriter ribbons, printers, photocopiers,
facsimiles, check writer impressions, indented writing, watermarks, inks, erasures, alterations,
obliterations, torn edges, safety paper, charred paper, graphic arts, and matches.

QD Examiner vs. Graphologist

Expert Witness
A witness in court to give an opinion upon recognition of his qualifications as to
knowledge, skills, training or experience.
Standard Specimen
A specimen considered as authentic or genuine and generally accepted.

Collected Standard
A type of standard specimen being procured by circumstances for comparison to
questioned specimen.

Requested Standard
A type of standard specimen obtained upon request for comparison to questioned
specimen.

Exemplar - a sample specimen considered authentic or genuine

Authentic
The term is used in two senses. It is applied first to a book or document whose contents are
invested with a special authority, in virtue of which the work is called authentic. In its second sense it
is used as a synonym for “genuine”, and therefore means that a work really emanates from the author
to whom it is ascribed

Holograph- a document written wholly in the handwriting of the person whose signature it bears

Typewriter
A mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic device with a set of “keys” that, when pressed,
cause characters to be printed on a document, usually paper. In the late 19th century and at the start
of the 20th century, this person was called a typist. As of 2006, the following companies manufacture
typewriters and accessories: Smith-Corona, Olivetti, Adler-Royal, Olympia, Brother, and Nakajima.
Olivetti is the only western company to currently manufacture manual typewriters. All other current
models are electronic.
Remington Company
The first company to introduced typewriter in the commercial market America in 1873.
First Typewriter
It was called the “Sholes & Glidden Writer,” and it was produced by the gun makers E.
Remington & Sons in Ilion, NY from 1874-1878. It was not a great success (not more than 5,000 were
sold), but it founded a worldwide industry, and it brought mechanization to dreary, time-consuming
office work.

Sholes and Glidden

Underwood Company
Underwood established itself as a major player in the typewriter industry with the introduction
of the first visible typewriter. Visible means is allowed the typist to see what they were typing as they
were typing. By 1939 Underwood had produced five million machines. From 1874 the Underwood
family made typewriter ribbons and carbon paper, and were among a number of firms who produced
these goods for Remington. When Remington decided to start producing ribbons themselves, the
Underwood apparently decided to get into the business of manufacturing typewriters

Underwood Typewriter

The original Underwood typewriter was invented by German- American Franz X. Wagner, who
showed it to entrepreneur John T. Underwood. Underwood supported Wagner and bought the
company, recognizing the importance of the machine. Underwood No. 1 and No. 2, made between
1896 and 1900, had “Wagner Typewriter Co.” printed on the back.

Type Faces of Typewriting Machines

Pica, Elite, Gothic Roman, Italic.

PICA ITALIC
Keyboard of Typewriters - Original Standard American keyboard 42 keys and 84 characters: New
American Standard Keyboard 43 to 44 keys and 86 to 88 characters

Typewriting Test Plate

An instrument use to determine defects of vertical and horizontal alignment of
typewritten letters.

Typewritten Document
It is a document made by a typewriter or machine of keyboard system.

Henry Mill (1683 – 1771) was a British inventor who patented the first typewriter in 1714. Mill
obtained a patent in Britain for a machine that, from the patent, appears similar to a typewriter. Other
early developers of typewriting machines include Pallegrino Turri, who also invented carbon paper.
Many of these earliest machines, including Turri’s, were developed to enable the blind to write.
Original Copy
The first copy of the document to be source for reproduction.
Duplicate Copy
A document as product of reproduction of the original.

Henry Mill

• The first patent for a 'writing machine' was given to Henry Mill in
1714. Sadly there are no surviving details to prove its existence as a working machine. The first known
typewriter was invented in the United States of America by William Burt in 1830. This was called a
Typographer and printed one single letter after another. From this point on there was a flood of
designs both in the United States and Europe, causing some dispute over who invented what
components. These machines were usually one-offs and it is only in the past year that the inventors of
the 'Type-writer', Christopher Sholes and Carlos Glidden, have made an agreement with the Remington
company to have their model manufactured in quantity.
By Henry Mill
• The machine writes in capitals and was heavily influenced by the workings of the Remington sewing
machines. The original design laid the letters in an ABC format, but Sholes found that this continually
jammed his typewriters. To solve the problem, he asked his brother-in-law, a mathematician, to work
out an arrangement that would - for the most time - prevent the bars from clashing. The result is a
rather unusual arrangement of letters on the keyboard 'QWERTYUIOP' on the top row of keys,
'ASDFGHJKL' in the middle and 'ZXCVBNM' on the bottom row. While this might not seem sensible to
the laymen among us, Mr. Sholes assures us that it is a highly logical and scientific design for the
machine.
•

Pellegrino Turri

1808 The first practical typewriter proven to have worked was built by
the Italian Pellegrino Turri in 1808 for his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzono

Phonetic Alphabet
Phonetic alphabet is used to spell out letters in place of just saying the letter itself. By using a word
for each letter there is less chance that the person listening will confuse letters. For instance, some
letters that can easily be confused are “D” and “B”. Using the phonetic alphabet. “Delta” and “Bravo”
can be easily distinguished. The phonetic alphabet is used primarily used in two-way radio
communications. The effects of noise, weak signals, distorted audio, and radio operator accent are
reduced through use of the phonetic alphabet. This system of spelling letters is used around the world
by maritime units, aircraft, amateur radio operators and the military.

Greek means
Greek is an Indo-European language with a documented history of 3,500 years, the
longest of any single language in the language family.
Chirography
Chirography (from the Greek derived (cheir-‘/’ cheiro) Latin chiro- meaning hand (i.e.
chiropractic)) is the study of penmanship/handwriting in all of its aspects (script, calligraphy, etc.)
Paper
Paper is a commodity of thin material produced by the amalgamation of fibers,
typically vegetable fibers composed of cellulose, which are subsequently held together
by hydrogen bonding. While the fibers used are usually natural in origin, a wide variety
of synthetic fibers, such as polypropylene and polyethylene, may be incorporated into
paper as a way of imparting desirable physical properties. The most common source of
these kinds of fibers is wood pulp from pulpwood trees, largely softwoods and
hardwoods, such as spruce and aspen respectively. Other vegetable fiber materials
including those of cotton, hemp, linen, and rice may be used.

Cotton Hemp

Hemp (from Old English hænep, see cannabis (etymology)) is the common name for plants of the entire genus
Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial (non-drug)
use

Linen

A textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture,
but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather
Papyrus

This species was considered very important by the Egyptians over 2 thousand
years ago. It was used for making scrolls, mats, ropes and even shoes. This is a true marsh plant and in nature
is happiest growing along the edges of ponds or water basins in gardens. If left to its own devices, it can grow
to as high as 10 feet tall. Its fine leaf structure lends an exotic elegance to indoor water gardens and wet
interiors capes. And it will enhance any plant lover's indoor fountain.

Parchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheep skin or goat skin. Its most common use is as
the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is not tanned,
but stretched, scraped, and dried under tension, creating a stiff while, yellowish or translucent animal
skin. The finer qualities or parchment are called vellum.
Water Mark
It is a marking on the surface of paper as security features.

Direct light photograph unsuitable to show water marks

Transmitted light photography showing water marks

An English deed written on fine parchment or vellum with seal tag dated 1638

• Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or

goatskin. Its most common use is as the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from
leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned, therefore it is very reactive with changes in relative
humidity and is not waterproof. The finer qualities of parchment are called vellum.
Various Paper Test

Glare Test
It determines light reflection from the surface of paper by glarimeter.
Brightness
It determines on white paper that measures of particular wavering.
Thickness
It is a quantity measurement of paper by use of caliper instrument.
Porosity
It is a measurement of air that passes through the paper.

Opacity
It is a measurement of light that passes through the paper by use of opacimeter.
Perforation
Perforation is a hole made by puncturing a surface. However, the term frequently refers to
the practice of creating a long series of holes so that paper can be torn more easily. Postage
stamps are one common application of this, where small around holes that are cut in lines to create
individual pieces

The difference between stamp perforations

Pencil

Is a pointed writing instrument produced from lead and graphite component. Pencil is a writing or
drawing instrument consisting of a thin of pigment (usually graphite, but can also be colored pigment
or charcoal) and clay, usually encased in a thin wood cylinder though paper and plastics sheaths are
also used. Pencils are distinct from pens, which use a liquid marking material

INK

Another very important aspect of document is ink. This ink used for blacking the raised surfaces of pictures
and texts carved in stone was developed in China. The early ink was a mixture of soot from pine smoke,
lamp oil, and gelatin from animal skins and musk. Such inks are called India Ink and are virtually
permanent because the carbon in the lampblack is chemically inert and is not bleached or otherwise
affected by sunlight. Other early cultures also developed many colors of ink from available berries, plants
and minerals.
Types of ink

Early varieties include:

Egyptian ink
various natural dyes made from metals, the husk or outer covering of beans or seeds, and
sea creatures like the squid (known as sepia)

India ink
A black and originated in Asia. or Indian ink in British English), or less commonly called Chinese ink. Since it
may have been first developed in either India or China, is a simple black ink once widely used for writing
and printing, and now more commonly used for drawing, especially when inking comics and comic strips.
Indian ink tends to clog fountain pens if not used for long time; it then becomes necessary to use water
to unclog it. An exception to this is Pelican Fount India, which does not contain shellac, the substance
which causes clogging.
India ink (or Indian ink in British English), or less commonly called Chinese ink since it may have been
first developed in either India or China, is a simple black ink once widely used for writing and
printing, and now more commonly used for drawing, especially when inking comics and comic
strips. Indian ink tends to clog fountain pens if not used for long time; it then becomes necessary to
use water to unclog it. An exception to this is Pelikan Fount India, which does not contain shellac,
the substance which causes clogging.

Walnut ink
Though to have been used by many of the old masters for drawing. However, there is no proof of this, Walnut
Inks, if they were used, would have faded fairly quickly. Made from the green husk surrounding the nut
of walnuts. It may be liquid or made of crystals that are mixed with water before use. It can be used to
produce stains and darken paper to make it look older.
 Carbon inks
were among the very first used. India ink is among the oldest of these, having been discovered and
used about 2000 B.C. Carbon inks are made from charcoal or soot suspended in a gum, glue, or
varnish medium. Because much of the best-quality ink was made from lamp black, the color varied
from dark brown to blue-black.

Carbon inks, known as "sumi" produce an intense black appealing to painters of all cultures. This quality
of liquid sumi is very good: not all liquid sumi ink is created equal

Iron tannin inks

basically replaced carbon inks in the middle Ages as the general writing ink fluid because they were
easier to handle. The-scale use of these inks arose almost simultaneously with the introduction of
paper in Western Europe. Initially, the tannin from hides was used, but it became apparent that
nutgalls would serve as well so that most colonial documents use nutgall ink.

Iron gallotannate inks

It remained on the market into the early 20th Century. These inks are relatively light-colored when first applied, and
then they blacken the paper gradually over a period of several days, sometimes corroding both the paper and the pen.
They were normally supplied with a blue dye in them, so that they went on blue and turned black — "Carter's Blue-Black
Writing Fluid."

Iron gallotannate inks remained on the market into the early 20th Century. These inks are relatively
light-colored when first applied, and then they blacken the paper gradually over a period of several days,
sometimes corroding both the paper and the pen. They were normally supplied with a blue dye in them,
so that they went on blue and turned black — "Carter's Blue-Black Writing Fluid."
Indelible Ink

A type of ink that penetrates on the surface of the paper and cannot be removed like India ink. The word
"indelible" means "cannot be removed". Some types of indelible ink have a very short shelf life because of the
solvents used, which evaporate rapidly. India, Philippines, Indonesia and other developing countries have used
indelible ink the form of electoral stain to prevent electoral fraud.

Indelible Ink

Printing Ink

A type of ink considers as varnish base which contains pigments and boiled oilswith various natural or
synthetic resins and dry rapidly.

Stamp-Pad Ink

A slowly evaporating ink dried on the surface of the paper by penetration

Pen

A pen (Latin penna, feather) is a writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper. Pens can be
used with inks of any color but commonly make use of inks in shades varying between black and blue, and
sometimes red.

Ballpoint pens
It was first sold domestically at Gimbels in 1945. They used an ink based on olein, which is still being used by
some of the cheaper ballpoints today. These oil-based inks ‘strike’ through the paper as can be seen from
illustration number 5 a and b from 1947. This is because of the oily nature of the inks. An improvement came
in 1955, when a polyethylene glycol type of ink was introduced. This was a much better product. The olein inks
can be made to run readily through the use of a petroleum ether test, while the glycols are relatively resistant.
This makes it possible to differentiate fairly easily between these two products.
Special Fountain Pen
An ink resistant from ordinary chemical and free from sediment that flows freely.

Indelible Ink
A type of ink that penetrates on the surface of the paper and cannot be removed like India ink.

Printing Ink
A type of ink considers as varnish base which contains pigments and dry rapidly.
Ink Erasure
A removal of the ink by chemical or mechanical means.

Ink Eradicator
The Ink Eradicator is a German-designed correction pen produced by Pelikan. It can break down royal blue ink
without residue. It is also known as Super Pirat and Super Sheriff.

Alterations
Is a change in the text of document or any of its part either for addition or eradication

Ink Erasure

Alterations

Addition Interlineations
It is an additional text in the document being inserted in the altered portion or text of the
document.
Substitution
It is a changing or altering in any portion or part of the document.

Crayons
Europe was the birthplace of the “modern” crayon, a man-made cylinder that resembled
contemporary sticks. The first such crayons are purported to have consisted of a mixture of charcoal
and oil. Later, powdered pigments of various hues replaced the charcoal. It was subsequently
discovered that substituting wax for the oil in the mixture made the resulting sticks sturdier and easier
to handle.
Reed pens The Ancient Egyptians had developed writing on papyrus scrolls when scribes used
thin reed brushes or reed pens from the Juncus Maritimus or sea rush. In his book A History of
Writing, Steven Roger Fischer suggests that on the basis of finds at Saqqara, the reed pen might well
have been used for writing on parchment as long as ago as the First Dynasty or about 3000 BC.

Different Types of Pen

1. Reed Pens – continued to be used until the Middle Ages although they were slowly replaced
by quills from about the 7th century.
2. Quill Pen – The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947 on the northwest bank of the Dead Sea
date back to around 100 BC. They were written in Hebrew dialects with bird feathers or quills.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europeans had difficultly in obtaining reeds and began to
use quills. There is a specific reference to quills in the writings of St. Isidore of Seville in the 7th
century. Quill pens were used until the nineteenth century.
Reed Pens

Quill Executive Pen

3. Metal Nibs – Metal nibs appear to have very early origins. A pen with bronze nib was found in the ruins of Pompei
showing nibs must have been in use in the year 1679. There is also a reference in Samuel Pepys diary for August 1663. A
metal pen point was patented in 1803 but the patent was not commercially exploited. John Mithcell of Birmingham
started to mass produce pens with metal nibs in 1822. During the 19th century metal nibs replaced quill pens. By
1850the quality of steel nibs had improved and dip pens with metal nibs came into generalized use.

4. Fountain Pens – While a student in Paris, the Romanian Inventor Petrache Poenaru invented the
world’s first fountain pen, an invention for which the French Government issued a patent on
May 25, 1827. Lewis Edson Waterman, a New York insurance broker invented the capillary
feed fountain pen in 1884 producing a much more reliable flow of ink.

Fountain Pens

5. Ballpoints – The first patent on a ballpoint pen was issued on October 30, 1888, to John J. Loud
In 1938, Laszlo Biro, a Hungarian newspaper editor, with the help of his brother George, a
chemist, began to work on designing new types of pens including one with a tiny ball in its tip
that was free to turn in socket. As the pen moved along the paper, the ball rotated, picking up
ink from the ink cartridge and leaving it on the paper. Biro filed a British patent on June 15,
1938. In 1940 the Biro brothers and a friend, Juan Jorge Meyne, moved to Argentina fleeing
Nazi Germany and on June 10, filed another patent, and formed Biro Pens of Argentina. By the
summer of 1943 the first commercial models were available. Erasable ballpoint pens were
introduced by Papermate in 1979 when the Erasermate was put on the market.
Ballpoint Pen

6. Felt Tips – In the 1960s the fibre, or felt-tipped pen was invented by Yukio Horie of the Tokyo
Stationery Company, Japan Papermate’s Flair was among the first felt-tip pens to hit the U.S
market in the 1960s, and it has been the leader ever since. Marker pens and highlighters, both
similar to felt pens, have become popular in recent year.
7. Rollerballs – Rollerball pens were introduced in the early 1980s. They make use of a mobile ball
and liquid ink to produce a smoother line. Technological advances achieved during the late
1980s and early 1990s have improved the roller ball’s overall performance.

Felt Tips Rollerballs

Nib
It is a tip point of writing instrument.

Ball Point Nib

A pen consists of socket with an oil base.

Ultra Violate Light or Infrared Light

An instrument detecting fluorescence substances and impregnated the paper under exposure.

Handwriting
It is a visible effect of bodily movement which is almost unconscious expression of fixed
muscular habits reacting from fixed mental impressions of certain ideas associated with script formed.
How Handwriting Developed
Handwriting developed from the art of writing penmanship such as copy book form or
blackboard illustration of different letters: Progress of focus attention towards actual writing and
mastery of handwriting execution with unconsciousness.
Cursive Handwriting

Graphology
Graphology is the study of handwriting, especially when employed as a means of
analyzing character. Graphologists examine loops, dotted “i’s” and crossed “t’s” letter spacing, slants,
heights, ending strokes, etc., but they believe that such handwriting minutiae are physical
manifestations of unconscious mental functions.

Ambidextrous
It is a person or an individual who can write by left or right hand.

Printed Handwriting
It is a handwriting execution that letters separate each other’s.

Cursive Handwriting
Any style of handwriting which is designed for writing down notes and letters by hand. In
the Latin of Cyrillic languages the letters in a word are connected, making a word one single complex
stroke. In British English, the phrase “joined-up writing” is far more commonly used, while the term
“running writing” is sometimes used in Australia. Cursive is considered distinct from the so-called
“printing” or “block letter” style of handwriting, in which the letters of a word are unconnected, and
from “print-writing”, which is a cross between cursive and printing, with some unconnected letters and
some connected.

Legible Handwriting
A handwriting execution that can be read.

Illegible Handwriting
A handwriting execution that cannot be read.

Signature
It is a universally accepted written manifestation of an individual affixed in the document for
conformity of transaction.
Signature

Calligraphy
It Calligraphy (from Greek kallos “beauty” and graphe “writing”) is the art of beautiful writing. A
contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is “the art of giving form to signs in an expressive,
harmonious and skillful manner”.

Cacography
It is a product of bad handwriting image of individual writer.

Natural Writing
A normal handwriting execution without attempt to control the identifying characteristics.

Disguised Handwriting
It is a deliberate change of usual handwriting habit to hide an identify.
Forgery
Forgery is an act an imitating or counterfeiting classified by law as crime against public interest.

1. Simple Forgery
It is a type of forgery without pictorial similarity.
2. Traced Forgery
It is a type of traced forgery by tracing method..

Simple or Spurious Forgery

Traced Forgery
Traced Forgery