Are Forensic Document Examiners Handwriting Experts? document
examiners are handwriting experts, but forensic document
examiners do not usually use the term handwriting expert to
refer to themselves. The courts and attorneys commonly use the
term handwriting expert; however, most forensic document
examiners believe the term handwriting expert is too limiting.
Forensic document examiners perform a much wider range
examinations than handwriting examination, comparison, and
identification. It is true that handwriting examination is the
bulk of the work performed by most forensic document examiners.
Forensic document examiners examine handwriting and signatures
to identify and eliminate potential writers and detect forgery.
They also testify about handwriting examinations as an expert
witness in court, but qualified forensic document examiners are
also experts in the examination of typewritten and computer-
generated documents, counterfeit documents, alterations and
obliterations on documents, and to detect and de