ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 11

Identification of Indented Typewritten Entries with Characters Present on a Lift-Off Correction Ribbon
Grantham, SM
Document examiner, FBI Laboratory, DC

(Received 13 March 1992; accepted 7 April 1992)

Abstract

During the course of a bank fraud investigation, a Smith-Corona printwheel typewriter and a Brother dot matrix thermal printer were seized. Unfortunately, the suspect had removed the carbon film ribbons from both machines, but he neglected to remove the lift-off correction ribbon from the printwheel typewriter. The class characteristics of the questioned and known typewriting were consistent, and spectral images were observed on the platen of the printwheel machine which corresponded to portions of the text on the questioned checks. This interesting, yet circumstantial evidence was overshadowed by the discovery of indentations beneath the typewritten text on certain of the checks. Comparison of the paper fibers in the area of the indentations with the posterior surfaces of characters plucked from the paper and preserved on the correction ribbon formed the basis for an identification.

Keywords:
questioned documents, lift-off correction ribbon, carbon film ribbon, paper fiber impressions, typewritten indentations

Paper ID: JFS13351J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13351J
ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.