A Comparison of the Identifying Features in Original Signatures and Electronically Scanned Signatures

Electronically scanned signatures are increasingly being used as a form of personal identification on documents such as driving licences and passports. A comparison of identifying features in 150 handwritten signatures and electronically scanned versions showed that there was a statistically significant number of differences between the 2 groups (P>0.01). The pen type used to create the original signature— a ballpoint, a roller ball, or a fountain pen—was also shown to affect the number of differences observed. Electronically scanned ballpoint signatures showed the least number of differences, and the electronically scanned roller ball showed the most. Paired analysis using the Pearson χ2 test between the groups of pens shows that they are statistically different from each other (P>0.01). The types of differences observed between the signatures are categorised and vary among the pen types. The variation appears to be related to the composition of the ink within the pens. With electronic signatures being used commonly as record of identity in databases and on security documents, the forensic document examiner may frequently be required to make examinations of their authenticity or use them as specimen samples. However, the number of observed differences and the effects of a trivial matter, such as the pen used to create the signature, will make that difficult.