BKA Ink Reference Collection
Definition
The Bundeskriminalamt (German Federal Criminal Police Office) reference database of European pen ink formulations, used as the evidentiary baseline for questioned-document cases in German and other European courts.
- Custodian
- Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), Germany
- Content
- European pen ink formulation reference database
- Use
- Evidentiary baseline in questioned-document cases
- Field
- Questioned document examination, ink analysis
Common questions
How does an ink reference collection help date or authenticate a questioned document?+
Ink formulations change over time as manufacturers alter dyes, resins, and additives, so matching a questioned ink's chemical profile to a dated reference entry can indicate the earliest possible date the ink could have been used, helping to detect backdated or altered documents.
Is the BKA's collection used outside Germany?+
It is referenced in other European questioned-document cases as one of the more established formulation references available, though examiners in other countries may also draw on their own national or commercial ink libraries alongside it.
Related terms
- Carbon Black
- A colloidal carbon pigment produced by incomplete combustion; the primary colourant in permanent black gel inks, Indian inks, and archival drawing inks;...
- Ink Tagging Programme
- A voluntary scheme begun in 1979 whereby participating pen manufacturers add annual chemical tags (rare-earth chelates or fluorescent markers) to their formulations;...
- Iron-Gall Ink
- A historical ink formulation of ferrous sulphate, tannic acid (from oak galls), and gum arabic. The ferrous-tannate complex oxidises to brown ferric-tannate...
- Manufacturing Change Window
- The interval between when an ink formulation was introduced and when it was discontinued or reformulated; documents with ink outside this window...
- Phenolic Resin
- A class of synthetic polymer binder formed by condensation of phenols with formaldehyde; used in ballpoint ink vehicles since the 1950s; identifiable...
- Phenoxyethanol (2-Phenoxyethanol)
- A semi-volatile high-boiling solvent that constitutes a major component of ballpoint ink vehicles; its gradual loss from the dried ink film after...
- Shear-Thinning (Pseudoplastic)
- A rheological property where viscosity decreases under applied shear force; the gel ink delivery mechanism depends on this property: the gel liquefies...
- Triarylmethane Dye
- A class of synthetic dyes (including crystal violet, Victoria blue B) that form the primary colourant in most blue ballpoint inks; characterised...
- USSS International Ink Library
- A collection of ~10,000 dated writing ink formulations maintained by the United States Secret Service since 1968, providing a terminus post quem...