How to Produce or Find a Good Handwriting Sample

For the most accurate analysis of handwriting, a sample with the following characteristics will be the most revealing:-

• The sample is written on plain paper.
• The resting surface is smooth, but not too hard.
• The sample is written in fountain, or old-fashioned nib pen.
• The sample is 15 to 20 lines long.
• The sample is signed using the subject's usual signature (e.g. for cheques).

The above requirements are not absolutely necessary, but it will help to determine as many characteristics about the subject as possible if the above instructions are followed.

If you do not have, or wish to purchase, a fountain pen, the next best option is a ball-point (biro). Please do not use a fibre-tip pen, as these do not reveal the subtle pressure differences that handwriting often exhibits.

The written content of the handwriting sample is irrelevant, so a few lines copied from a newspaper or book, or perhaps a favourite poem or song, are quite adequate.

The important thing is that the sample is written as normally as possible, with the subject calm and relaxed, and the paper resting on a smooth surface.

You may wish to do a handwriting analysis on handwriting not produced by yourself. In this case, please use a sample of handwriting that best meets the above requirements.