1.3_QUESTIONED DOCUMENT

1. Natural Variations

2. Transitory Change

3. Tremor

4. Writing Conditions

5. Writing Instrument

Factors that affect writing characteristics

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.

Transitory Change

meant to those changes which only continue to exist while the basic cause of the deterioration is still affecting the writer, once such cause has been removed from the writer, the writing will revert in its normal form.

Tremor

is the weakening of the strokes characterized by a wavering or shaky stroke.

2 TYPES

1.Genuine Tremor

2. Tremore of Fraud

a.1. Weakness of sickness

a.2. Old age

a.3. Illiteracy (lack of skills)

Genuine Tremor

Writing Conditions

refer to all factors affecting the over-all quality of writing such as the writer's condition under which the writing was prepared.

Ball point pen

(by John Loud) - consisting of a ball bearing at the point of the pen.

b.Fountain pen

(by Lewis Waterman/ Lewis Edson Waterman) - consisting of a pen nib point.

c. Fiber pen

(originally designed in Hong Kong) - relatively loosely-packed cotton or cotton- like fibers, sometimes encased in a thin tissue paper-like covering. This holds a supply of ink. The pen is non-refillable and is intended to be.

Questioned Document Examiner

Expert in analyzing any questioned document

Historical Dating

An examination involving the verification of age and also the worth of a document.

Fraud Investigator

Examination focuses on the money trail and criminal intent.

Paper and Ink Specialists

Either public or private document experts who uses chemical in examining date, type, source, and/or catalogue various type of paper, watermarks, inks, printing/copy/fax machines, computer cartridges etc.

Forgery Specialist

Either public or private document experts who analyzes altered documents and photos using different methods in examination.

Handwriting Analysts


A psychology expert who assesses individual's personality traits, also called graphologist or graph analysts.

Typewriting Analysts

Experts in identifying the origin, make, and model used in typewritten materials.

Computer Crime Investigator

A document examiner who uses modern technology in relation to examination through some common investigative and testimonial procedures.

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.

Erasure

refers to removal of 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.

Obliteration

is the process of smearing over an original writing to make it undecipherable or illegible. Done with the use of superimposing inks. Usually examined with the use of Infra-red light.

Charred Document

refers to partly burned or brittle document. Decipherment is usually accomplished with the used of infra-red-light examination.

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.

Contact writing

refers to partially visible ink strokes caused by sudden contact between a sheet of paper with another paper containing fresh ink. Can be enhanced through fuming or ultra-violet light process.

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.

Typeface defect

any form of peculiarity of the type printing caused by actual damage to the typeface metal or which may be an abnormality in its printing condition.

Characters

in connection to typewriting, it is used to include letters, symbols, numerals or points of punctuation.

Pica typeface

type face impression ordinarily spaced ten (10) characters to the horizontal inch.

Elite typeface

type face impression ordinarily spaced twelve (12) characters to the horizontal inch.

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.

Transitory Defects

is an identifying typewriter characteristic which can be eliminated by simply cleaning the machine or replacing the ribbon.

Permanent Defects

any identifying typewriting characteristics of the type face which cannot be corrected by simply cleaning the machine or replacing the ribbon.

Mal alignment or alignment defects

refer to defects 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.

1. Verify the type size and design (W-G-T)

2. Look for individual type face defects

Principal technique utilized in typewriting identification Measure the type face pitch

1. Vertical mal alignment

2. Horizontal mal alignment

3. Twisted letters

4. Off-its-feet

5. Rebound

6. Actual breakage

7. Clogged type face (dirty)

Typeface Defects

Vertical mal alignment

a character printing above or below of its proper position.

Horizontal mal alignment

an alignment defect in which the characters are printed to the left or right of its proper position.

Twisted letters

letters and characters are designed to be printed at a certain angle to the baseline. Once letters lean to the left or right of its proper position such is called _______.

Off-its-feet

is a condition of the type face printing at which then character outlined is not equally printed, that is the printing is heavier in one side than the remainder of the outline of the character.

Rebound

typeface defect in which a character prints a double impression with the lighter one slightly off-set to the right or left.

Actual breakage

any peculiarity of typewriting caused by actual damage to the type face metal.

Clogged type face (dirty)

is a typeface defects characterized by dirty prints due to constant use 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.