About Document Examination

Handwriting identification is based on the premise that no two persons write exactly alike. There may be similarities, but upon close examination, each writer exhibits a unique set of characteristics that they develop over time that no one else can fully duplicate. Handwriting and hand printing can be identified. Handwriting identification is a discriminatory process, like fingerprint identification or DNA analysis. Document examiners study the physical composition of a person's handwriting. They compare the writing habits of various writers and, consequently, evaluate the significance of the similarities or differences that have been uncovered. This unique set of characteristics is the "DNA fingerprint" of handwriting that makes identification possible.