Freehand Simulation
Definition
A forgery produced by visually studying the target signature and reproducing it from memory, without mechanical tracing; characterised by slow pen speed, irregular tremor, and retouching.
- Method
- Visual study and memory-based reproduction
- No tracing
- Purely freehand, no mechanical aid
- Key indicators
- Slow pen speed, irregular tremor, retouching
- Field
- Signature and forgery examination
Common questions
What pen-movement evidence distinguishes freehand simulation from a genuine signature?+
Genuine signatures are written at speed with smooth, fluent strokes and consistent pressure. A simulated signature shows slow, hesitant pen lifts, tremor from the effort of copying an unfamiliar form, and retouching where the forger corrected a stroke, all visible under magnification or with line-quality analysis.
How does freehand simulation differ from a traced forgery?+
A traced forgery follows a physical guide, such as carbon transfer or light-box tracing, and so reproduces the outline almost exactly but with unnaturally uniform, slow strokes. Freehand simulation relies on visual memory alone, so proportions and spacing drift more even though the pen movement shows similar hesitation.
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...
- Exemplar Set
- The collection of known genuine signatures used as the comparison baseline; SWGDOC and ENFSI guidelines specify a minimum of 20-30 exemplars spanning...
- 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...