At SD Forensic Document Services, we were recently engaged to examine a document involving allegations of signature misuse. The complainant claimed that he was asked to sign a blank sheet of paper, and that the contents of the document were subsequently printed without his knowledge or consent.

Our forensic task was to determine the sequence of events — specifically, whether the document contents were printed before or after the signature was applied.

Through meticulous analysis using oblique lighting techniques and high-magnification examination, we observed the following critical indicators:

• The pen strokes from the signature had disrupted the printed ink, indicating interaction with the toner or ink surface.
• The grooves and pressure marks of the signature were visibly overlaid on the printed text, confirming that the pen had passed over the printed areas.

These findings conclusively established that the signature was placed after the contents were printed, thereby refuting the allegations made by the individual.

This case underscores the value of forensic document analysis in resolving disputes related to signature authenticity and document tampering.