Typewriter analysis
Typewriter analysis is a forensic process used to examine typewritten documents to glean information about the typewriters that produced them. This method is particularly significant in investigations involving typewritten materials like ransom notes or forged documents, even though its relevance has diminished in the digital age. While handwriting is unique to individuals and easily identifiable, typewritten documents are often perceived as homogenous, making their origins seem more challenging to trace. However, experts can draw meaningful insights from these documents by comparing them to known samples produced on specific typewriters.
The analysis involves assessing various characteristics, such as letter spacing, shapes, and line spacing, to determine if two documents were produced on the same make and model of typewriter. Experts may employ tools like magnifiers or microscopes to facilitate this comparison. Notably, even typewriters of the same model can exhibit unique traits due to manufacturing variances and wear over time, allowing forensic specialists to identify specific machines. Overall, typewriter analysis remains a valuable tool in forensic investigations, providing insights that might otherwise be overlooked in a world increasingly reliant on digital communication.
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Typewriter analysis
DEFINITION: Process by which experts examine typewritten documents to determine information about the typewriters on which the items were produced.
SIGNIFICANCE: Typewriter analysis can play a vital role in any investigation involving a document believed to have been produced on a typewriter, such as a ransom note, threat letter, or forged document. Although typewriter analysis has faded in importance since the use of computers and printers has become widespread, forensic scientists are still called upon at times to analyze documents produced on typewriters.
Handwriting is widely understood to differ from person to person, making the source of a handwritten note or document easily identifiable. In contrast, many people believe that typewritten documents all look the same and that finding the sources of documents created on typewriters should be difficult, if not impossible. Although typed documents are less easy to distinguish from one another than handwritten documents, an expert in typewriter analysis can determine a lot of useful information from a single typewritten document.
The processes used in typewriter analysis differ slightly depending on the document in question and the goal of the investigation. If the goal is to determine the originator of a document, a single specific typewriter may need to be identified. If the goal is to determine whether an important historical document is a forgery, determining pertinent information about the type of machine used, and when it first became available, may be enough.
To determine whether a typewritten document was created on a certain machine, an expert compares a sample document typed on the machine in question to the relevant document. The comparison can be made to a document known to have been created on that machine, such as a letter or bill, or it can be made to a document typed solely for the purpose of comparison.
The expert compares the two documents side by side, sometimes using a hand magnifier or a high-powered microscope. The first determination to be made is usually whether the two documents came from machines of the same make and model. To determine this, the expert compares the two documents in terms of the spacing between letters, the shapes of the letters, the spacing between lines of type, and other attributes.
Although typewriters of the same make and model will produce very similar documents, individual typewriters can have attributes that make them specifically identifiable. Some of these traits may have come from the factory, such as a slightly misshapen letter. More commonly, they occur over time and with wear of the typewriter. Different letters, and even different parts of letters, wear differently. This means that any document typed on a particular machine will show the same slight imperfections in particular letters. An expert can use such imperfections to determine whether the typewriter used to create the comparison document also created the document in question.
Bibliography
Fatima, Fatima. "Forensic Analysis of Typewriter and Typewritten Documents." International Journal for Electronic Crime Investigation, Sept. 2019, doi: 10.54692/ijeci.2020.030340. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Kapoor, Neeti, et al. "Forensic Analytical Approaches to the Dating of Documents: An Overview." Microchemical Journal, Nov. 2021, doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2021.106722. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Koppenhaver, Katherine M.. Forensic Document Examination: Principles and Practice. Totowa, N.J.: Humana Press, 2007.
Vastrick, Thomas W. Forensic Document Examination Techniques. Altamonte Springs, Fla.: Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation, 2004.