Exemplar Set
Definition
The collection of known genuine signatures used as the comparison baseline; SWGDOC and ENFSI guidelines specify a minimum of 20-30 exemplars spanning varied dates and conditions.
- Minimum size
- 20 to 30 exemplars per SWGDOC and ENFSI guidelines
- Composition
- Genuine signatures spanning varied dates and conditions
- Purpose
- Comparison baseline for signature examination
- Standards bodies
- SWGDOC, ENFSI
Common questions
Why does the exemplar set need signatures from varied dates and conditions?+
Genuine signatures naturally vary over time and circumstance, such as writing speed, surface, or the writer's physical state. A set drawn from a single sitting or a narrow time window may understate that natural variation and skew the comparison.
What happens if fewer than the recommended number of exemplars is available?+
The examiner can still proceed but must qualify the conclusion, since a smaller exemplar set gives less confidence in distinguishing normal variation from a genuine inconsistency, and may limit the strength of the stated opinion.
Related terms
- Auto-Forgery
- A genuine signature executed by the legitimate signer on a document they later deny, undetectable by handwriting comparison alone; requires document-dating and...
- ESDA
- Electrostatic Detection Apparatus; detects latent indentations in paper by charging the surface and cascading toner particles, revealing tracing stylus pressure and writing...
- Freehand Simulation
- A forgery produced by visually studying the target signature and reproducing it from memory, without mechanical tracing; characterised by slow pen speed,...
- Indented Tracing
- A tracing method in which a stylus or pen presses the genuine signature outline through to a blank beneath, leaving physical indentations...
- Line Quality
- The overall fluency, rhythm and pressure variation of a stroke. Genuine writing has smooth, rhythmic, pressure-modulated lines; forgeries show tremor, blunt starts...
- Motor Programme
- The stored neuromuscular sequence that controls handwriting execution. Once stable in adulthood, it runs largely automatically, making handwriting consistent and individuating.
- Natural Variation
- The normal within-writer fluctuation in individual features across repetitions of the same letter or writing task; an examiner assesses whether questioned-writing variation...
- Retouch
- A second application of ink to a stroke by the forger, correcting a perceived error; produces double ink-layer detectable by oblique lighting...
- Video Spectral Comparator (VSC)
- A multispectral imaging instrument combining UV, visible, and near-infrared illumination with selectable emission filters and a calibrated digital camera; the primary bench...