Indented Tracing
Definition
A tracing method in which a stylus or pen presses the genuine signature outline through to a blank beneath, leaving physical indentations detectable by ESDA.
- Category
- Traced forgery method
- Method
- Stylus pressed over genuine signature onto sheet beneath
- Detection tool
- ESDA
- Distinguishing feature
- No ink deposited at the tracing stage
Common questions
Why does indented tracing produce a more accurate copy than freehand simulation?+
Because the forger follows the genuine signature's exact outline with a stylus rather than drawing from memory or observation, the resulting indented guide line reproduces proportions and letter placement more faithfully than any freehand attempt, though the eventual inked line still shows the tremor and pen lifts of slow, guided writing.
How does an examiner tell an indented tracing apart from natural indented writing left by a prior document?+
The traced outline matches a known genuine signature stroke for stroke and sits directly beneath where the forged signature was later inked, whereas ordinary indented writing corresponds to unrelated text and does not align with any signature on the sheet above it.
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...
- Freehand Simulation
- A forgery produced by visually studying the target signature and reproducing it from memory, without mechanical tracing; characterised by slow pen speed,...
- 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...