The Importance of Shading Habits in Handwriting Identification

Abstract

The importance of the unconscious habit of shading within an individual's handwriting and its relationship to handwriting identification is illustrated by a case study. The subtle variations of pen pressure within handwriting should always be a integral part of any forensic handwriting comparison. A thoughtful evaluation of seemingly unrelated, random movements within a questioned signature may often be deciphered as a carefully executed series of related movements with consistent pressure variations. If their sequence and relevance within the signature are correctly interpreted, these variations and movements can be of the utmost importance in a final determination of genuineness.