Chapter 7

PAPER & INKS

 WHAT IS A DOCUMENT?

Document is original or official written or printed-

paper furnishing information used as a proof of
something else. It is any object that contain
handwritten or typewritten markings whose source or
authenticity is in doubt.
 WHAT IS A QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION?
Questioned document examination (QDE) is the forensic science
discipline pertaining to documents that are (or may be) in dispute in a
court of law. The primary purpose of questioned/forensic document
examination is to answer questions about a disputed document using a
variety of scientific processes and methods.
Common criminal charges involved in a document examination
case fall into the "white-collar crime" category. These include identity
theft, forgery, counterfeiting, fraud, or uttering a forged document.
Questioned documents are often important in other contexts simply
because documents are used in so many different contexts and for so
many different purposes. For example, a person may commit murder and
forge a suicide note. This is an example wherein a document is
produced directly as a fundamental part of a crime. More often a
questioned document is simply the by-product of normal day-to-day
business or personal activities.
 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN DOCUMENT
ANALYSIS OF PAPER:

1. Determination of whether two pieces of paper originated

from the same source.

2. Determination of the probable age of paper

3. Determination of the composition of the paper

 PACKING, PRESERVATION AND TRANSPORTATION
OF DOCUMENT

1. Documents should be handled, folded and marked as little

as possible.
2.If folding is necessary to send to the laboratory, the fold
should be made along old lines. Place it in Manila paper
envelope or brown envelope since it is sufficiently hard
paper or it can be placed in a transparent plastic envelope.
3.On receipt the document should be place between two
sheets of plain white paper in folder.
4.Documents should not be touched with pencil, pen or
anything that could be possibly marked them.
 ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF PAPER
The origin of paper may arise as a question in the course of an
investigation. Discovering the source of the paper for example sometimes
solves cases of anonymous letters. One of the clues to the operators of a
forger is the source of his blank checks. Papers can often be identified and
distinguished by means of their composition, processing and marking. In
addition, the handling of paper after manufacture may result in identifying
marks. The following are typical objectives of a comparison with paper
standards:
1. To determine whether the standard is similar to the paper bearing the
questioned writing.
2. To determine whether the standard is similar to the paper was taken
from a particular pad or tablet. For example, that matching the partially
perforated edges that questioned check can show it was from a particular
checkbook. Again, by matching perforated edges it is sometimes possible
to show that the stamp on a questioned envelope was removed from
another stamp or sheet of stamps found in the possession of the suspect.
 ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF PAPER
3.To show that one document was in contact with another.
The shape of the blot may establish this, for example, which
had sipped through the questioned document and stained
some of the underlying sheets of tablet. In recent narcotic
case it was possible to show that the glassine envelope
containing the shabu found in the addict’s possession had
been removed from stack of envelopes on the counter of
the suspected pharmacy, which is front in selling prohibited
drugs. The glue with which the lower end of envelope was
sealed in the process of manufacturing had in drying,
caused the envelope to adhere to the next lower one in the
stack of envelope. On separating, the fibers of the lower
envelope had been distributed in a recognizable outline.
 COMPOSITION OF PAPER
Paper is made of three components:
1. Fiber Composition – practically all papers maybe classified from the
standpoint of their basic fiber composition into sets of fiber
mixture namely:
a. Mechanical pulp – ground wood sulfite mixture, this is pulp from
coniferous and dicotyledonous wood in combination with sulfite
chemical pulp from conifers.
b. Soda – sulfite mixture – chemical pulp from dicotyledonous
woods.
c. Rag sulfite – cotton rag or linen rag.
2. Sizing material – added to paper to improve its texture. Examples of
sizing materials are rosin, casein, gelatin and starch.
3. Loading materials – added to paper to give weight. It partially fills
the pores between the fibers of the paper. Examples of loading
materials are calcium sulfate and barium sulfate.
 COMPOSITION OF PAPER

Substances Used for Writing:

Egyptian papyrus – one of the earliest substances used for

writing. It is from the name papyrus that the word paper was derived.
After papyrus came parchment and velum then linen and cotton or
cotton only. Paper made from a variety of fibrous materials that started
about the middle of the 19th century.

a. 1800 – straw was first used

b. Between 1845 and 1880 – from soda wood pulp
c. 1869 – from mechanical wood pulp
d. Between 1880 – 1890 – from sulfite wood pulp
 THE EXAMINATION OF PAPER
The examination and comparison of paper may determine the
following:

1.The age of the paper as compared with the age of known

document.
2.Whether a paper is identical with or different from another
paper whose history is known.
3.Whether two sheets of paper of the same manufacturer
were made at the same time. In this case we have to know
when the form was printed or when the paper was first
made that bears a particular mark.
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER

1. Preliminary Examination – deals with the appearance of the

document and the following are observed:

a. Folds and creases

b. Odor
c. Impression cause by transmitted light – gives indication of color,
translucency where tampering is made, change in tint which
indicates substitution of sheets of paper, watermarks, and wire
marks.
d. Presence of discoloration in daylight and under the ultraviolet
light.
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER

Watermark - if present is one of the most important features

in the comparison of paper. It is distinctive mark or design
placed in the paper at the time of its manufacture, by a roll
usually covered with wire cloth known as dandy roll which
serves as a means whereby the paper can be identified as
the product of a particular manufacturer.

Wire mark – marks produced on paper by the flexible wire

soldered to the surface of the dandy roll that carries the
watermark.
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER
2. Physical Test Causing No Perceptible Change – a test
applied on paper without perceptible changing or altering
the original appearance of the document.
a. Measurement of Length and width – to indicate that they
originated from the same manufacturer if two pieces are
found to be exactly the same.
b. Measurement of thickness
c. Measurement of weight/unit area
d. Color of the paper – it is closely related to its brightness. A
side-by-side comparison maybe made in well- diffused light.
Observation of color is influenced by the texture, gloss,
finish, type of illumination and the element of human error.
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER
e. Texture
f. Gloss- gloss and texture maybe determined by visual
observation in good daylight or under different kinds of
illumination.
g. Opacity – the quality of paper that does not allow light to
pass through or which prevents dark objects from being
seen through the paper.
h. Microscopic examination/inspection – for possible
presence of dirt, foreign particles, imperfections,
wiremarks or certain unusual fibers. These maybe a
deciding factors in determining whether or not the same
manufacturer made two pieces of paper.
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER
3. Physical Examinations Causing a Perceptible Change
– this is done only if sufficient samples are available
and if prior authorization from the court is required this can
be done.

a. Bursting strength or “Pop test” – the apparent pressure

necessary to burst a hole in a sheet when property
inserted in a suitable instrument.
b. Folding endurance test – it is obtained on an instrument
that registers the number of alternate folds the paper
will stand before breaking.
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER
c. Accelerated aging test – there are some methods of aging
a document artificially namely:
1. soaking in coffee solution
2. soaking on tea solution
3. exposure to charcoal
4. ironing
5. heating in an oven
6. exposure to ultraviolet light
d. Absorption test – maybe made to determine either the
rate of absorption or the total absorption of the paper. A
strip of paper is suspended in water or ink or other liquid.
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER

4. Chemical Test – this test determines the fiber

composition, the loading material and sizing material
used in a paper.
A. Fiber Composition – the examination is purely
microscopic and it determines the material used and
nature of processing. This may be determined by boiling
a small piece of the document in 5 % sodium hydroxide.
The liquid is poured off and the fragment of paper
washed and teased out on a glass slide and stained with
the following and the color is observed under the
microscope.
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER
Reagents:
a. 2 grams potassium iodide, 1.5 grams iodine, 2mL
glycerin and 20 mL water.
b. 1) 20 grams zinc chloride and 10 mL water.
2) 2 grams potassium iodide, 1 gram iodine and 5 mL
water
Mix 1 and 2 allow the mixture to stand and decant clear
supernatant liquid for use. (the solution is zinc chloriodine)

c. 1 gram phloroglucine, 25 mL water and 5 mL conc. HCl

d. 10 % solution of aniline sulfate
 THE FOUR TESTS FOR PAPER
B. Sizing material – the sizing materials maybe tested by:
Procedure and Results:
1. Gelatin – is extracted by boiling the paper in water. The solution is
tested with dilute tannic acid solution. Positive result is yellow
precipitated.
2. Rosin – this is extracted by heating the paper on a water bath with
95% alcohol. The solution obtained is evaporated to dryness and the
residue dissolved in acetic anhydride, cooled, transferred to a
porcelain dish and strong sulfuric acid is added. Positive result is
reddish- violet color that quickly changes to red brown.
Simple test for rosin – place a few drops of ether on a paper and if rosin
is present a brown ring will be formed when ether evaporates.
3. Starch – add a dilute iodine solution on the paper. Blue color is
produced if starch is present
 THE ANALYSIS OF INK
Some of the most important questions that arise in the analysis of
ink are:
1. Whether the ink is the same or like or different in kind from ink
or other parts of the same document or on other document.
2. Whether two writings made with the same kind of ink were made
with identical ink, or inks of different qualities or in different
conditions.
3. Whether an ink is as old as it purports to be.
4. Whether documents of different dates or a succession of
different dated book entries show natural variations in ink writing
or whether the conditions point to one continuous writing at one
time under the same condition.
 TYPES & COMPOSITION OF INK
1. Gallotannic ink or iron-nutgall ink (blue) – today the most
frequently used ink for making entries in record books and for
business purposes. Gallotannic ink is made of a solution of iron
salt (ferrous sulfate) and nutgall (iron gallotannate). This ink can
penetrate into the interstices of the fiber and not merely on the
surface thus making its removal more difficult to accomplish.
The color changes undergone by this ink in the process of
oxidation provides a valuable means of estimating the
approximate age of the writing.
- Blue – with naked eye, very recent
- Violet – less recent
- Black – still less recent
 TYPES & COMPOSITION OF INK

Changes undergone by gallotannic ink:

a. First reaching a maximum degree of blackening within the first
year or two.
b. Then fades gradually over a period of many years until only a
rust colored deposit remains.
This period of time can be stated only approximate since the
oxidation processes are related or accelerated according to the
degree of atmospheric humidity, the light, the quantity of the ink
itself, the paper, the condition of blotting, condition of storage,
etc.
 TYPES & COMPOSITION OF INK

2. Logwood ink (black) – the color is dependent on the inorganic

salt added but on drying and standing, they turn black. It is
made of saturated solution of logwood to which very small
amount of potassium dichromate is added. Hydrochloric acid
added to prevent formation of precipitate. Phenol is added as
preservative. The ink is inexpensive, does not corrode steel pen.
Will not washed off the paper even fresh, flows freely.
3. Nigrosine ink or aniline ink (blue black or purple black) –
made of coal, tar product called nigrosine dissolved in water. It
easily smudged, affected by moisture, maybe washed off from
paper with little difficulty.
 TYPES & COMPOSITION OF INK
4. Carbon ink or Chinese ink or India ink – the oldest material
known. Today finely divided carbon is held in colloidal
suspension and used to produce deep black drawing and writing
ink. It is made of carbon in the form of lampblack. It does not
penetrate deeply into the fibers of the paper so that it may easily
be washed off. Not affected by the usual ink testing reagent.
5. Colored writing ink – today all colored inks are composed of
synthetic aniline dyestuffs dissolved in water. In certain colored
inks ammonium vanadate is added to render the writing more
permanent.
6. Ballpoint pen ink – made of light fast dyes solution in glycol
type solvents like carbitol, glycol, or oleic acid. Paper
chromatography can best analyze this ink.
 TEST FOR INK
Different types of ink maybe determined by many different
methods such as the use of reagents on the ink lines, the
spectrographic and the photographic method. For this
purpose, only physical and chemical methods will be
discussed.

1. Physical Method/Test – applied to determine the color and

presence of alterations, erasures, destruction of sizes
with the use of stereoscope, hand lens and microscope.
2. Chemical Test or Spot Test – a simple test wherein different
chemical reactions or characteristics color reactions or
other changes in the ink are observed.
 TEST FOR INK
The following table shows the chemical reactions of the different types of ink:
Gallotannic Ink
Gallotannic Ink with
Reagent without provisional Logwood Nigrosine Carbon
provisional color
color
Disappear with slight Maybe No effect or smudged
5% HCl Blue Red
yellow color smudged with blotter
Maybe No effect or smudged
10% oxalic acid Blue Disappears Violet-red
smudged with blotter
Runs, dark violet at No effect or smudged
Tartaric acid Blue Disappears Light brown
edges with blotter
No effect or smudged
2% NaOH Reddish-brown Reddish-brown Brown Brown
with blotter
No effect or smudged
10% NaOCl Disappears Disappears Disappears Brown
with blotter
No effect or smudged
Chlorine water Disappears Disappears Disappears Brown
with blotter
No effect or smudged
K4Fe(CN)6 * Blue Blue Red No effect
with blotter
No effect or smudged
KCNS * Red Red - No effect
with blotter
 DETERMINATION OF APPROXIMATE AGE OF
DOCUMENT
1. Age of Ink – no definite procedure which can be given for this
determination except when the color is black, because on the observation
that within a few hours the color of ink writings become darker the dye
contained therein is influenced by the light of the room, oxygen of the air,
acidity or alkalinity of the paper.
There are several methods of determining the degree of oxidation of
the ink writing and apparently these methods depend upon:
a. Physical phenomena such as matching the color of the ink writing with
standard colors or with itself over a period of time.
b. Chemical reaction that may reveal some information concerning the
length of time the ink has been in the paper.
2. Age of Paper –
a. Through watermarks
b. In certain cases from the composition of paper
 OTHER ASPECTS OF DOCUMENT EXAMINATION
The detection and deciphering of illegible writing is one of the major problems in
documentation examination.
Illegible writing is unnecessary writing which is not capable of being read usually
made on checks, birth certificate, passports and transcript of records.
Examples of illegible writing:
1. Erasures – the removal of writing from paper. It can be made mechanically or
chemically.
2. Obliteration – the obscuring of writing by superimposing ink, pencil or other
marking materials.
3. Sympathetic ink – substances used for invisible writing
4. Indented writing – term applied to the partially visible depression appearing on
sheet of paper underneath the one that the visible writing appears.
5. Writing on carbon paper – remember that used sheets of carbon paper can be
made readable.
6. Contact writing – blank paper contains traces of ink because of previous
contact with some writing.