International School of Asia and the Pacific 1

Subject: Questioned Document Examination

REVIEW NOTES IN
QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION
I.

TERMS TO PONDER:

DOCUMENT refers any material containing marks,

signs or symbols visible, partially visible or invisible
which furnish or convey information, meaning or
message to a person. It is any written statement by
which a right is established or an obligation is
extinguished (People vs. Morena, CA, 38 O.G. 119). The
term document came from the Latin word
DOCUMENTUM, which means lesson, or
example. It was derived also from the French word
docere, which means to teach.
Questioned Document a document in which
contents appearing therein are questionable or
seemed untrue, and are contested either in whole or
in part with respect to their authenticity, identity or
origin.
Questioned Documents Examination refers to the
scientific process of investigating questioned
documents. It includes the scrutiny of the writing
materials and instrument used, ink, handwriting and
other marks that may affect the authenticity of the
document.
Holograph Document. a document completely written
and signed by one person. In a number of
jurisdictions, a holographic will can be probated
without anyone having witnessed its execution.

QUESTIONED
DOCUMENT
EXAMINERis
responsible in Handwriting Identification and is
capable of more than just questions of authorship
limited only by their access to laboratory equipment.
The old term for this was HANDWRITING EXPERT.

FRAUD INVESTIGATOR - this focuses on the money

trail and criminal intent of the person using the
document being questioned.

PAPER AND INK SPECIALIST- refers to a person

who has expertise on date, type, source, and/or
catalogue various types of paper watermarks, ink,
printing/copy/fax machines computer cartridges, etc.
using chemical methods.

FORGERY SPECIALIST - A person who analyses

altered, obliterated, changed, or doctored documents
and photos using infrared lighting, expensive
spectrograph equipment, or digital enhancement
techniques.
GRAPHO-ANALYST this is usually a psychology
expert who assesses personality traits from
handwriting samples, also called GRAPHOLOGIST.

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TYPEWRITING ANALYST- a person who is expert on

the origin, make and model of typewriters and
documents produced from it.

HANDWRITING is the result of a very complicated

series of acts treated as a whole, a combination of
certain forms of visible mental and muscular habits
acquired by long painstaking effort. Handwriting is
sometimes called BRAINWRITING.

GRAPHOLOGY
is
the
study and analysis of
handwriting to assess the writer's traits or personality.

BIBLIOTICS is the study of documents and writing

materials to determine their genuineness or
authorship.

PENMANSHIP or CALLIGRAPHY is the art and

practice of attractive handwriting.

PALEOGRAPHY is the study of ancient writing that

is concerned with inscription on stone, clay tablets,
bone, metal, bamboo strips and other surfaces.

KINDS OF DOCUMENTS
a.

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS any instrument notarized by

a notary public or competent public official with
solemnities required by law (Cacnio vs. Baens, 5 Phil.
742).

b.

OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS any instrument issued by

the government or its agents or its officers having the
authority to do so and the offices, which in
accordance with their creation, they are authorized to
issue and be issued in the performance of their duties
(US vs. Asensi, supra).

c.

PRIVATE DOCUMENTS are deeds or instruments

executed by a private person without the intervention
of a notary public or other persons legally authorized,
and which proves same disposition or agreement as
evidenced or set forth therein (US vs. Orera, 11 Phil
596).

d.

COMMERCIAL DOCUMENTS are documents

defined and regulated by the Code of Commerce
(People vs. Co Beng, CA., 40 O.G. 1913) or any other
commercial law.

KINDS OF WRITING
a.

SCRIPT or MANUSCRIPT WRITING - is any

disconnected style of writing or junction broken. This
is being learned by school children who are just
beginning to write. When a person expresses his/her
own idea into writing, it is called FUNCTIONAL
WRITING.

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Subject: Questioned Document Examination
b.

c.

CURSIVE or CONVENTIONAL WRITING - most parts

are joined together by a junction connection. It is used
by most adults. This is used when script/manuscript
writing is mastered. In QD examination, the word
cursive means RUNNING.
BLOCK or PRINTED WRITING is characterized by all
capital or uppercase letters. This originates from the
Japanese.

THE BASIC SYSTEMS OF WRITING

a.

b.

c.

LOGOGRAPHIC SYSTEM A system of writing that

involves pictures or logos in constructing words,
believed to be the first system of writing which was
very difficult to learn and write and can give relatively
few pronunciation clues.
SYLLABARY SYSTEM A system of writing which
was developed by Japanese named CHEROKEE
SEQUOYA that was first used in writing and recording
his native language.
ALPHABETIC SYSTEM This is the system of writing
considered to be the most difficult to invent but very
easy to use. This was invented by the SEMETIC
People at about 1500 BC, The PHOENICIANS
developed the alphabet further. The GREEK took it
over from the Phoenicians, and the ROMANS
borrowed it from the Greeks and have it welldeveloped until it was spread out entire the world.

HANDWRITING It is the result of a very complicated

series of acts being used as a whole, combination of
certain forms of visible mental and muscular habits
acquired by long, continued painstaking effort. Some
defined handwriting as visible speech.
Kinds of Handwritings:
1.
2.
3.

Muscles which Function:

a.
b.

a.

b.

d.
EARLY FORMS OF WRITING

CRUDE WRITING prehistoric people drew pictures

of wild animals on the walls of caves and rock
shelters that tell the story of how they hunted for food.
Later the people made their picture simpler and
simpler. The pictures gradually became signs called
PICTOGRAPHS, in which each pictograph stood for a
word or idea.
The Sumerians invented a system of writing that used
wedged-shaped symbols called CUNEIFORM.
About 1500 BC, the SEMETIC people of Middle East
invented
the
Alphabet. The
PHOENICIANS
developed the alphabet further. The GREEK took it
over the Phoenicians, and the ROMANS borrowed it
from the Greeks.
SCRIBES are people who are knowledgeable in
writing. They offer service to people who would want
to send letters to others. They make this service as a
way of living.
ROMANS in printing, it refers to straight up-anddown letters.
ITALIC a term used by printers that refers to the
slanted style of letters similar to those used in cursive
writing.

EXTENSOR MUSCLES the muscles that push up

the pen to form the upward strokes of any character.
FLEXOR MUSCLES the group of muscles that push
up the pen to form the downward strokes of any
character.

Movements in Writing

c.

Cursive Connected
Script Separated or printed writing
BLOCK all capital letters

FINGER MOVEMENT the letters are made entirely

by the action of the thumb, the index and middle
fingers. Such is found among children, illiterates and
those to whom writing is an unfamiliar process.
HAND MOVEMENT the letters are produced by the
action of the whole hand with the wrist as the center
of action and with some actions of the fingers.
ARM MOVEMENT the movement in writing is made
by the hand and arm supported with the elbow of the
center of the lateral swing.
WHOLE ARM MOVEMENT the action is produced
by the entire arm without any rest. The source of
motion is the shoulder. Writing on a blackboard is a
good example.

LEFT-HANDEDNESS

About 10% of all people are left-handed.

When a left-handed person begins to write
manuscript, they may need special help from others.
A left-handed child should hold the pencil so that the
fingers are at least 1 inch(2.5 Centimeters) from the
nib/point. This will give the child a better view of the
paper while writing.
Ambidextrous the term that refers the situation
when a person is able to use the right and the left
hand with equal skills in writing. It came from the Latin
word dexter which means right-handed and from
its old Latin term ambidexter which means righthanded on both sides.

Letters w, h, e, g, k, q are considered difficult letters to be

written by beginners based on survey.
Drop Cap an oversized capital letter used to start a
paragraph.
Ligature refers to characters that combine or connect.
For instance, letter A combines with E, following (ff); street
(st.)
CALLIGRAPHIC TERMS

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Subject: Questioned Document Examination
9.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

ASCENDERLINE refers to the portion of the letter

that rises above the waistline showing the height of an
ascending letter.
DESCENDERLINE refers to the portion of a letter
that falls below the baseline.
BASE LINE refers to the writing line that the body of
the letter sits upon.
WAISTLINE refers to the guideline showing the
correct position for the upper boundary of the xheight.
X-HEIGHT refers to the height of the letter between
the baseline and the waistline. It also refers to the
height of the lowercase letters.
CAP LINE refers to the height of the capital or
uppercase letters.
COUNTER the space inside the loops of selected
letters.
NIB refers to the pen point.
PEN ANGLE refers to the angle at which the nib
meets the paper relative to the baseline.
SERIFS a small stroke that begins or ends a letter.
SLANT refers to the slope of a letter. The 3 kinds
are slant to the right, left and vertical slant.
CALLIGRAPHIC TERMS
BRANCHING STROKE refers to the stroke which
connects the arch to the down stroke of a letter. The
same with JUNCTION CONNECTION.
FLOURISH a non-structural embellishment
(beautification) added to a letter.
SLANT LINE refers to the guideline showing the
correct slant.
CROSS BAR refers to the horizontal stroke to
complete letters t, and H.
HAIRLINE lines that forms every character which
are very thin.

10.
11.

12.

13.

14.

15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

TECHNICAL TERMS IN HANDWRITING ANALYSIS

1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.

INITIAL STROKE any beginning stroke of any letter.

This is sometimes called BEARD as initial up stroke.
ENDING or TERMINAL STROKE - any ending stroke
of a letter.
BODY - The main portion of the letter, minus the initial
strokes, terminal strokes and diacritic in any letter.
DIACRITIC refers to the "t" crossing and dots of the
letter "i" & "j". An element added to complete certain
letters. It could also be a mark above or below a
printed letter that indicates a change in the way it is to
be pronounced or stressed. Acute and grave accents,
tilde (~), and cedillas ( an ) are examples of
diacritics.
CACOGRAPHY came from Greek word
kakkographia which means ugly writing.
CALLIGRAPHY came from Greek term kalligraphia
which means beautiful writing.Kalligraphia came
from kallos="beauty" andgraphein="write.
FOOT - lower part which rest on the base line. The
small letter "m" has three feet, and the small letter "n"
has two feet.
SHOULDER the side out portion of the top curve of
letters m, n, h.

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21.

22.
23.
24.

HUMP the top outside portion of letters m, n, & h

the rounded outside or top of the bend stroke or curve
in small letter.
HABIT - any repeated elements or details, which may
serve to individualize writing. It is how a certain letter
is written repeatedly.
HESITATION - the term applied to the irregular
thickening of ink which is found when writing slows
down or stop while the pen take a stock of the
position.
HOOK - It is a minute curve or a ankle which often
occurs at the beginning or ending of strokes. The
terminal curves of the letters "a", "d", "n", "m", "p",
"u", is the hook. In small letter "w" the initial curve is
the hook.
LOOP - An oblong curve such as found on the small
letter "f", "g", "l" and letters stroke "f". A loop may
be blind or open. A blind loop is usually the result of
the ink having filled the open space.
EYELET or EYELOOP - a small loop or curve formed
inside the letters. This may occur inside the oval of
the letters "a, d, o"; the small loop form by stroke that
extend in divergent direction as in small letters.
COUNTER the space which is enclosed or
delimited that may be found in letters O, P, Q, D, C, F
and other letters.
BUCKLE or BUCKLE KNOT- a loop made as a
flourish which is added to the letters, as in small
letters "k, b & p or in capital letters "A", "K.
MAJUSCULE - a capitalized letter or letter which is
printed in block form (uppercase letter).
MINUSCULE - a small letter (or lowercase letter).
PATCHING - retouching or going back over a
defective portion of a written stroke. Careful patching
is common defect on forgeries.
RETRACING - Any part of a stroke which is
superimposed or highlighted upon the original stroke.
No defective is found in the stroke but writer retraces
only the strokes.
HIATUS or PEN JUMP - a gap occurring between a
continuous strokewithout lifting the pen. Such as
occurrence usually occurs due to speed; may be
regarded also as a special form of pen lift distinguish
in a ball gaps in that of perceptible gaps and appear
in the writing.
PEN LIFTING - an act of interruption of the writer in a
stroke caused by removing or lifting the writing
instrument (pen) from the paper.
TREMOR - a writing weakness portrayed by irregular
shaky strokes that is found in handwriting of a person.
RHYTHM the harmonious appearance of
characters, concerning its general style and
appearance. Such style or design of letters if found to
be consistently used, there is rhythm in writing.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATIONS
CHRACTERISTICS

OF

HANDWRITING

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Subject: Questioned Document Examination
1.
2.

CLASS or GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS refers to

the general design of letters and figures that can be
found to handwritings of several people.
INDIVIDUAL or PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
refers to the personal design of letters and figures by
a person that cannot be found to others handwriting.
CHARACTER is any letter, numeral, punctuation
mark, symbol or ornament found in a document.
ABSENT CHARACTER is the term that refers to
a character or character combination which is
present in one body of writing but is NOT present
in another body of writing.
ACCIDENTAL CHARACTERISTICS is a single
occurrence of a characteristic which is outside
the range of the variation of the writer. These are
results of some interference with the normal
formation of the characteristics.

CLASSIFICATIONS
CHARACTERISTICS
1.
2.
3.
4.

OF

INDIVIDUAL

PERMANENT - this characteristic can be found

always in handwriting of a person.
COMMON or USUAL - this characteristic can be
found in a group of writers who studied the same
system of writing. Example: Stenography.
OCCASIONAL - this characteristic is only found
occasionally in ones handwriting. This is unique
stroke that makes the writer different from others.
RARE - this characteristic is special to the writer and
perhaps found only in one or two persons in a group
of 100 individuals.

TYPES OF HANDWRITING "STANDARDS"

1.

COLLECTED or PROCURED STANDARDS refers to

writings of a person written in the course of daily life
such as signatures in legal documents, signatures
on canceled checks, handwritings in school
notebooks, formal letters, commercial/ official/ public
and private document and other handwritings.
2. REQUESTED or DICTATED STANDARDS are
signatures or handwritings (or hand printings)
written by an individual upon request for the purpose
of comparison with other handwriting. This is known in
its Latin term as POST LITEM MOTAN Standards.
FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN GATHERING STANDARDS
THE AMOUNT OF STANDARD NEEDED
At least 10-25 signatures
At least 4-5 pages of natural handwriting
SIMILARITY OF SUBJECT MATTER
Consider all in determining similarity. As to style or
kind of handwriting, as to paper and instrument used
in writing, as to the different strokes used.
RELATIVE DATES of the questioned and the
standards writing standard signatures or writing
must be those written five (5) years before or five (5)
after the date of the questioned signature or writing.
The ideal standards are those before, on and after the

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date of the questioned writing. The interval of years

between the questioned and standards should not
exceed more than five years.
SIGNATURE

Refers to a person's name, usually in his or her own

handwriting.

In law, signatures are put at the end of a legal

instrument to show that it is valid and may serve as
sign of acknowledgment.

The most common and readily accepted form is the

person's own handwriting, but a signature may be
printed, typewritten, stamped (should be countersigned).

Illiterate persons often draw X or other symbol,

attested by the signature of a witness.
TYPES OF SIGNATURES
1.

FORMAL (a.k.a. CONVENTIONAL or COPYBOOK

FORM) done usually in writing the full name which
is readable.
2. INFORMAL (CURSORY) usually done by writing the
first name, surname or the initials in a signature.
3. Personalized whenthe signature contains distinctive
marks (personalized) purposely to easily identify fake
signature.
4. Semi-personalized the writer has one or two
distinctive designs to identify his/her own signature.
5. CARELESS SCRIBBLE are signatures which
cannot be read. It could be a symbol, composed lines
or writings that represents the persons name or
personality.
6. STAMPED SIGNATURE
7. THUMB PRINT
8. SACANNED SIGNATURE
FORGERY, COUNTERFEITING & FALSIFICATION
A.

FORGERY is a crime against public interest on

making or producing an illegal copy of something so
that it looks genuine, usually for financial gain.Forgery
applies to:
signing the name of a person who cannot write;
the unauthorized use of another's signature, by
transferring of a genuine signature to a document
for which it was NOT intended, or
the fabrication of an entire document.

B.

COUNTERFEITING is making or copying of

something, especially money, in order to defraud or
deceive another. An offense for a person to make a
counterfeit (fake) of currency note or coin intending
that he or another shall pass or tender it as genuine.
Etymological definition: Counterfeiting was derived
from the Latin word contra (against) and facere (make
or do).
FALSIFICATION is generally defined as the act of
altering document (e.g. obliteration) with intent to

C.

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Subject: Questioned Document Examination
deceive. It includes the usual falsification of signature
or entries in a document inorder to deceive another.

change their handwriting. Also known as EXTENDED

WRITING.
INDICATIONS OF FORGERY

TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
1.

2.

3.

4.

OBLITERATION is the act of erasing or obscuring

some entries in a document leaving no trace. It came
from Latin obliterare (remove letters) and litera
(letter).
SUBSTITUTION is the act of putting some writings
or entries in a document in place of another, or take
the place of another. It came from Latin word
substituere (set up under).
INTERLINEATION the act of inserting words or
group of words, figures between lines in a text or
document. It came from the Latin term linea (insert
line or text).
INTERCALATION the act of inserting words or
group of words and figures in a line or along the line
in a text of a document. It came from Latin calare
(proclaim).

KINDS OF FORGERY
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

SIMPLE FORGERY the forger simply signs the

name of other person without having knowledge on
the design or style of the genuine signature. He may
sign the document in his own handwriting or disguised
handwriting. This is also known as FREEHAND
FORGERY. The signature is called also as
SPURIOUS which means false or fake.
SIMULATION the process of copying or imitating a
genuine signature.
INDIRECT TECHNIQUE - forger works first with
pencil and afterwards covers the pencil strokes with
ink.
TRACED FORGERY an act of following the outline
of a genuine signature with a writing instrument.
MECHANICAL PLACEMENT is a method of placing
signature into a document through the technology.

IMPORTANT TERMS:
1.

2.

3.
4.
5.

ANARCHRONISM refers to the situation where the

forger has trouble in matching the paper, ink or writing
materials to the exact date it was supposed to have
been written.
GUIDED SIGNATURE refers to signatures executed
while the writers hand on arm is steadied in any way.
Under the law, most jurisdiction such as a signature
authenticates a legal document, provided it shows
that the writer requested assistance.
GENUINE SIGNATURE refers to ORIGINAL
signatures executed by the writer in any document as
a sign of acknowledgment.
RESTRAINED WRITING refers to the style of
writing where letters are compressed and lacks
freedom between letters.
LOOSE WRITING refers to writings which unusually
extended where letters are written to deliberately

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1.

EVIDENCE OF TRACING - can be detected through:

a. Microscopic Observation
b. Oblique Writing
c. Infrared Photography
d. Transmitted Light Examination

2.

PEN PRESSURE refers to the average force the

pen is held against the paper. Forgers usually have
greater pressure when imitating signatures or
handwritings.
HESITATIONS evidenced by unnatural spread of ink
in one part of a written character due to the stoppage
of the pen of the writer.
RETOUCHING or RETRACING done by habitual
retouching or superimposition of the lines of the
stroke in a character.
PATCHING the act of going back over a defective
written character.
ABSENCE OF SPONTANEITY the lack of
smoothness of letters

3.
4.
5.
6.

.
PARTS OF A PHILIPPINE PAPER BILL
1.

2.

3.

MAINPRINT - Can be felt by our fingers

Genuine: The fingers will readily feel the main print
on the front & back on fairly new notes. This is due
to the measurable thickness of the ink deposited on
the paper which gives the prints an embossed
effect.
PORTRAIT picture of the person.
Genuine: Appears life-like. The eyes sparkle. The
tiny dots and lines (vignette) forming the details of
the face, hair, etc. are clear, sharp and well defined.
Each portrait stands out distinctly from background.
This is noticeable along the shoulders.
WATERMARK - a hidden image of the national hero
that is the same with the portrait appearing in the
paper bill. This is revealed when the paper money is
subjected to ultraviolet light.
Genuine: The watermark underneath the security
lacework on the right hand side of the note is the
same on the colored portrait.
Dandy rollis a wire cylinder used in paper
manufacture to produce a watermark during the
manufacture of the paper.

4.

METTALIC THREAD the threadlike in a bill

Genuine: This is a special thread placed vertically
on the paper during manufacture. On the surface of
the paper where this thread is located are patterns
of short vertical lines.

5.

COLORED FIBERS OR SECURITY FIBERS These

are colored red and blue which are scattered on the

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Subject: Questioned Document Examination
surface of the paper (front and back) at random & can
be readily picked off by means of any pointed
instrument.
Genuine: It has typical banknote crackle when
agitated by the fingers.
6.

7.

LACEWORK DESIGN it is multi-colored that

embellishes the portrait, value panels and vignette
that is put in vertical manner. It contains the amount of
the paper bill that could be revealed more with
ultraviolet light.
Genuine: The geometric pattern which looks like a
delicate lacework along the border on both
surfaces, embellishing the portraits, value panel &
vignettes are multicolored & composed of sharp
lines which are continuous & traceable even at the
joints.
COLOR OF EACH DENOMINATION
Genuine notes have polychrome background with
one predominant color for each denomination. You
should know whose portrait is/are printed on each
bill.
PhP 1,000.00Blue
- Jose Abad Santos,
Josefa Llanes Escoda, Vicente Lim
500.00Yellow - Benigno& Cory Aquino
200.00Green - DiosdadoMacapagal
100.00Mauve - Manuel A. Roxas
50.00Red
- Sergio Osmena
20.00Orange - Manuel L. Quezon
10.00Brown - Apolinario Mabini & Andres
Bonifacio
5.00Green - Emilio Aguinaldo

8.

9.

SERIAL NUMBERS composed of 2 letters and 6

figures that appear in both sides on the front page of
the paper bill. Serial numbers can also be revealed by
ultraviolet light.
Genuine: The letters and numbers are clearly
printed. They have peculiar style, uniform in size &
thickness. Spacing of the numbers is uniform &
alignment is even.
VIGNETTE these are lines and dots that compose
the portrait.
Genuine: The lines & dots are sharp. The varying
color tone gives a bold look to the picture that
makes it stands out of the paper.

COINS are metallic disks or small ingots, usually round,

that are used as a medium of exchange and also acquired
and saved as a hobby. Coins have been in use for more
than 2,600 years, and people have collected them for
nearly as long.
NUMISMATICS is the technical name for the practice of
collecting coins. Numismatics was derived from the Greek
word NOMISMA, meaning COIN or CURRENCY.
Numismatics includes the study of coins, banknotes,
medals, tokens, and primitive forms of money.
Governments and other official agencies issue billions of

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coins annually, and collecting coins is a popular hobby

around the world.

GENERAL METHODS OF MAKING COINS

1.

2.

CASTING is the most common method of making

gold coins. Plaster molds bearing an image of gold
coins are filled (within a low temperature) with alloy
made with lead or tin. Some molds are used for high
temperature metal such as copper or silver alloy.
STRIKING OR STAMPING is the making of an
impression of a coin or metal blank by pressure.

WRITING MATERIALS Any material used primarily for

writing or recording such as papers, cardboard, board
papers, Morocco paper, etc.
PAPER These are sheets of interlaced fibers - usually
cellulose fibers from plants, but sometimes from cloth rags
or other fibrous materials, that is formed by pulping the
fibers and causing to felt, or mat, to form a solid surface.
MACHINE PAPERMAKING A large papermaking
machine at the Kraft paper mill in Missoula, Montana,
converts wood pulp into paper. The first successful
papermaking machine was developed in the early 19th
century and improvements on newer machines continue to
be developed.
KINDS OF PAPER
1.

2.

3.

4.

PAPYRUS writing material used by the ancient

Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans that was made from
the pith of the stem of a water plant called
Sedge( also known as CyperusPaperus). Papyrus
came from the Latin word Papuros, meaning Papyrus
Plant, that reaches 12-25FT in height.
PARCHMENT- a creamy or yellowish material made
from dried and treated sheepskin, goatskin, or other
animal hide, formerly used for books and documents.
This is widely used inPerganum City, Anatolia during
the 2nd century BC.
VELLUM a paper which is high quality made from
calfskin (fine leader), kidskin, or lambskin (wooly pelt
of a lamb). Codex early form of book, consisting of
bound sheafs of handwritten pages.
INTERNATIONAL
PAPER
SIZES
Paper is usually sold by the ream in sheets of
standard sizes. A ream of paper usually contains 500
sheets,

Book paper and newsprint for flat-plate printing

are sold in reams of 500 sheets and in perfect reams

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Subject: Questioned Document Examination
of 516 sheets. The most common book-paper size is
OCTAVO (112 by 168 cm/44 by 66 in).

HISTORY OF PAPER

AD 105 -CAI LUN (also spelled as TsaiLun) the

inventor of paper, a Chinese Court Official of China
during the time of Emperor Ho Ti. The art of paper
making was kept by the Chinese for 500 years.
AD 610 - The Buddhist Monks spread the art of
papermaking to Japan. It was the Japanese people
who invented Block Printing.
AD 751 -Chinese Vs Arab Armies War. The Chinese
were defeated and many of them were taken as
prisoners. Some of the prisoners bargained for their
release in a condition that they will teach the Arabs
the Secrets of paper making.
AD 1009-1244 - The first Paper Mill was built by the
Arabs in Xativa, Spain. It took 400 years for paper to
traverse Europe.
AD 1338-1470 -French Monks began producing paper
used in the production of holy texts.
AD 1411 - A flour mill was converted to Paper Mill in
Germany.
AD 1588 England also built its own Paper Mill and
produced papers for its citizens.
AD 1680 The first Paper Mill was also built in
Culhuacan, Mexico.
AD 1690 William Rittenhouse, a German immigrant
to North America founded the first Paper Mill in North
America where the first American Paper Makers were
trained.
AD 1719 Rene Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur, after
study, he suggested that paper could be made from
wood or trees.
AD 1798 Nicholas Robert invented the first Paper
Making Machine.
Robert's Machine was improved by the Fourdrinier
Bothers: Henry Fourdrinierand Sealy Fourdrinier, who
in 1803 produced the first of the machines that bear
their name.
AD 1850 Friedrich Gottlob Keller, a German who
devised the method of Paper Making from Wood
Pulp, however, it was of poor quality.
AD 1852 Hugh Burgess, an Englishman who
perfected the use of wood pulp by digesting the wood
with chemicals.
AD 1867 C.B. Tilghman, an American Chemist,
improved the process of paper making process from
wood by using Sulfites.
AD 1879 C.F. Dahl, a Swede finally perfected the
use of wood in the production of paper by adding
another chemical known as Sulfate.
1880 Hectograph was invented for copying
manuscript by transfering it into a layer of gelatin
coated with glycerin.
AD 1883 Charles Stillwell, invented a machine in
making brown paper for groceries in Philadelphia.

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1895 Carbon Paper became common when

typewriter was introduced.
1980 - Fax (Facsimile) Machine was invented and
became available to many offices.
1911 - Photostat was introduced capable of making
copies of photographic documents.
1938 - Chester Carison invented the Xerox Machine.

WRITING MATERIALS
1.
2.

PEN general term for ink-refilled writing materials.

BALL PEN came from the Latin term Penna
meaning feather. This refers to a writing instrument
with ball rotating at its nib purposely to equally spread
its ink to the writing material.
3. FOUNTAIN PEN popularly called today as Sign
pen. This kind of pen usually has ink reservoir that
produces more ink as compared to ordinary pens.
Invented by Lewis Waterman.
4. FIBER TIP PEN refers also to what is popularly
called as Pentel Pen. This also contains ink
reservoir, where ink come from and passes to the
synthesized fibers before it reaches the writing
material. The first of this kind was invented by Yukio
Horie.
5. PENCIL a writing material that has lead that is
composed of graphite and clay and located in the
central part. The lead is covered by kaolin that is
made up usually from wood mixed with chemicals to
serve as binder.
6. LIQUID LEAD PENCIL a ball point pencil with an
erasable graphite ink introduced in 1955 but phased
out during the early 1960s.
7. QUILL PEN - writing instrument made from a feather
with a sharpened tip, which is dipped in ink. Used by
Jose Rizal in writing El Filibusterismo and Noli Me
Tangere (Touch Me Not). The earliest quill pen was
made by St. Isidro of Seville.
8. STYLOGRAPHIC PEN a kind of pen used by artist
and draftsmen.
9. REYNOLDS PEN an invention of Milton Reynolds in
1945 in New York, USA.
10. Steel Point Pens First patented by Bryan Donkin, an
English Engineer.
11. Ball point Pen John Loud who first made patent on
this writing tool.
INK - is any liquid or viscous pigmented substance used
for writing, printing, or drawing.
DIFFERENT INKS
1.
2.
3.

Carbon ink is also known as Indian Ink and Chinese

Ink which is known as the oldest form of ink.
Log-wood Inks - They were made from an aqueous
extract of logwood chips and potassium chromate
type in 1848.
Iron Gallotanate Inks the popular version of this is
the blue and black ink, which is the greatest number
of commercial ink today. This kind of ink turns to

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Subject: Questioned Document Examination

4.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

brown after sometime due to its corrosive properties

in the ink.
Nigrosine Ink also known as Aniline, Indulin, or
Black aniline. This is a colored ink that is composed of
synthethic dyes. Discovered by the Perkins in 1885
and first used by the Britons in 1878.
Copperas Ink an aqueous decoction of an iron salt,
hydrated with Ferrous Sulfate.
Dyestuff
Inks
composed
of
aqueous
solutions of synthetic
dyestuffs,
to
which
a
preservative and a flux are added.
Alkaline Writing Inks - These are quick drying inks
which possess a ph from 9 to about 11.
Super chrome inks - were already obtainable
since 1950. The ink that contains phthalocyanine
used in the determination of the age of a document.
Skrip Ink - is manufactured by W.A. Chaffer Pen
Company since 1955. It contains a substance which
is colorless in visible light and has a strong affinity for
the fibers of the paper, and yet is not bleached by
hypochlorite ink eradicators or washed out by soaking
on water.
Stamp Pad Inks - Made with the acid of substances
such as glycerol, glycol, acetin or benzyl alcohol and
water. Airline dyes are added as coloring matter. For
quick drying stamp pad inks, more volatile organic
solvents are used as acetone, ethanol, etc.
Typewriter Ribbon Inks - These inks are usually
composed of a blend of aniline dyes, carbon black
and oil such as olein or castor oil. The two-tone
ribbons however contain no dyes, but pigments
suspended in oil base.
Canceling Inks - These inks often contain carbon and
this fact should be borne in mind when it is required to
decipher faint cancellation marks on a postage stamp
and wrappers.
HENRY STEVEN he patented the blue-black ink
which is widely used this century.

TYPEWRITER - A machine designed to print or impress

type characters on paper, as a speedier and more legible
substitute for handwriting. Since the introduction of
practical typewriters in the 1870s, the machines have
come into universal use and have played an important part
in the development of modern business and in the great
dissemination of written and printed information that has
characterized the 20th century.
EARLY TYPEWRITERS
1.

2.

3.

The first recorded attempt to produce a writing

machine was made by the British inventor Henry Mill,
who obtained a British patent by Majesty Queen Anne
on January 7, 1714.
The next patent issued for a typewriter was granted to
the American inventor William Austin Burt of Detroit,
Michigan in 1829 for a machine with type arranged on
a semicircular wheel.
In 1833 a French patent was given to the French
inventor Xavier Progin for a machine that embodied
for the first time one of the principles employed in

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modern typewriters: the use for each letter or symbol

of separate typebars, actuated by separate lever
keys.

CHRISTOPHER LATHAM SHOLES Developed the

Sholes and Glidden Typewriter on June 23, 1867 that
only impress uppercase letters. He is credited as the
US inventor of typewriter. His typewriters were
developed by other inventors.
CHARLES GROVER THURBER an American
Inventor Made use of the device used for moving the
paper between letters and between lines on almost all
modern typewriters is a cylindrical platen, against
which the paper is held firmly. The platen moves
horizontally to produce the spacing between lines.
MARK TWAIN was the first author to publish a novel
in a typed form. The title was Life at Mississippi in
1883.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF TYPEWRITER AS TO TYPEFACE

1.
2.

PICA a type of typewriter that may contain at

least 10 characters in an inch. It has bigger
characters as compared to elite typewriters.
ELITE another type of typewriter in which in a
horizontal inch may contain at least 12
characters.

TERMS ON TYPEWRITING IDENTIFICATION

1. ALIGNMENT DEFECT the presence of twisted
letters, horizontal and vertical mal-alignment, which
can be corrected by special adjustments to the type
bar.
2. CLOGGED TYPEFACE refers to the dirty typefaces
that may alter the formation or design of letters.
3. ESCAPEMENT also known as PITCH. Refers to the
abnormal/ uneven spacing of letters in a typed
document.
4. MACHINE DEFECT any defect of the typewriting
resulting from the malfunctioning of the machine
rather than the type bar or type element.
5. OFF-ITS-FEET the condition of a typeface or letter
heavier on one side or corner than the remainder of
its outline.
6. REBOUND a defect in which a character prints a
double impression with the lighter part slightly offset
to the right or left.
7. TRANSITORY DEFECT refers to the condition of a
typewriter which has dirty typefaces, and clogged
parts that may affect the quality of the characters
printed.
8. TYPEFACE DEFECT refers to the actual damage,
usually a break to the typeface of a typewriter.
Albert S. Osborn An American and arguably the most
influential document examiner published his book entitled

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Subject: Questioned Document Examination
Questioned Document. He is considered as the father of
Questioned Document Examination.

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#GOBACKTOBASIC