Graphic Indices in Romanian Forensic Graphoscopy

The Case of the Digitally Captured Signature

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61801/Arsaequi.2026.27

Keywords:

signature, digital, handwriting, graphic indices, graphoscopy, forensics

Abstract

In forensic handwriting analysis, graphic indices can be defined as distinctive and specific elements that indicate changes in a person's handwriting, in terms of movement, language and spatial organization. One of the new elements to be integrated into the field of Romanian forensic handwriting examination is the digitally captured signature, summing up a digitized graphic image and associated biometric data, and research into how this type of signature can retained graphic indices must be undertaken by the handwriting expert community, before working procedures are harmonized with current legislation.

References

Legislation

Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC [2014] OJ L257/73

Law No 214 of 5 July 2024 on the use of electronic signatures, time stamps and the provision of trust services based on them, Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, No 647 of 8 July 2024

Literature

Alămoreanu S and Frățilă A, Comentarii la expertiza criminalistică a semnăturilor (Alma Mater 2012)

Frățilă A and Pășescu G, Expertiza criminalistică a semnăturii (National 1997)

Harralson HH and Miller LS, Huber and Headrick's Handwriting Identification: Facts and Fundamentals (2nd edn, CRC Press 2018)

Heckeroth J, Kupferschmid E, Dziedzic T, Kalantzis N, Geistová Čakovská B, Fernandes C, Branco MJ, Axelsson Spjuth K, Kerkhoff A, Vaccarone P, Zimmer J and Schmidt P, ‘Features of Digitally Captured Signatures vs Pen and Paper Signatures: Similar or Completely Different?’ (2021) 318 Forensic Science International 110587.

Ionescu L, Expertiza criminalistică a scrisului (Junimea 1973)

Mitrofan A, Enache PF, Nistor I, Stoian MG, ‘Digitally captured signatures – a complementary approach to forensic examination of handwriting’ (2025) 4 Romanian Journal of Criminalistics 487

Mohammed LA, Forensic Examination of Signatures (Academic Press 2019)

Nicolae D and Anghelescu I (eds), Dicționar de criminalistică (Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică 1984)

Other sources

ENFSI, Best Practice Manual for the Forensic Handwriting Examination, ENFSI-BPM-FHX-01 (4th edn, September 2022) https://enfsi.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/BPM-Handwriting-Ed.-4.pdf

Downloads

Published

27.08.2026

How to Cite

Moșoarcă, C. L. (2026). Graphic Indices in Romanian Forensic Graphoscopy: The Case of the Digitally Captured Signature. Ars æqui, 16(1), 70-79. https://doi.org/10.61801/Arsaequi.2026.27