How to Choose a Handwriting Sample for Analysis
Want to see what a handwriting analyst notices in your writing? Start with a sample that shows how you normally write. A practiced signature or a few carefully written words won’t give the same view as a full page written naturally.
In Reading Between the Lines, I suggest a full page or more on unlined paper. That gives an analyst room to observe the writing as a whole: the use of space, the movement across the page, and the patterns that recur.
Write something in your own words
It doesn't matter what you write about. A letter about your day is fine---even what you had for breakfast---or an account of something you remember. Choose the subject and let the writing flow. Don't copy a poem or song, a recipe, or passage from a book; that changes the task: you’re concentrating on someone else’s words rather than composing your own.
If you normally print, print. If you mix printing and cursive, do that. Don’t worry about making the page look beautiful. Trying to produce your “best handwriting” may produce a sample that is less typically you.
Use ordinary writing conditions
Plain, unlined printer paper and a smooth writing surface work well. Use a pen you find comfortable. An original page lets a handwriting analyst see details that a scan or photograph may not capture accurately, including some aspects of pen pressure.
It also helps to know the circumstances. Was the writer standing at a counter or seated comfortably? Writing with an unfamiliar pen? Dealing with a hand injury? Those facts can affect the appearance of the writing. They are context for interpreting the sample, not conclusions to draw from it.
Include enough writing to see a pattern
One unusual letter can catch your eye, but it may never appear again. With a full page, you can ask whether a feature repeats, varies, or changes with the writer’s pace. That is why I look at the whole writing before considering individual strokes.
I explored this in Why One Handwriting Trait Cannot Tell the Whole Story. You can also start with my introduction to handwriting analysis.
Respect the writer’s privacy
If the sample belongs to someone else, ask before sharing it for personality analysis. Handwriting is personal, and an interpretation should be handled with care. A reader also needs to understand the limits: even an excellent sample cannot reveal everything about a person---humans are too complex for that.
And if your question is “Did this person write or sign this document?”, that is a forensic handwriting question. It calls for appropriate known writing exemplars to compare with the questioned writing, rather than the type of sample described here. I explain the distinction in Handwriting Analysis and Forensic Handwriting Examination: What’s the Difference?.
For more on the gestalt (whole picture) approach, visit my nonfiction books page to find Reading Between the Lines.
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