Based on the phenomenon that static electricity attracts dust, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) semirigid sheet coated with printing ink was used to visualize impressions of fingerprints on the skin of living and dead bodies. Compared with visualization methods for perspiration fingerprints, this method recovers better images for a longer time after the fingerprint has been deposited on skin. Fingerprints transferred to the PET sheet are photographed with sidelighting using an ordinary light source. For fingerprints that yield inadequate contrast, an argon-ion laser can be used to improve the contrast.
Dermatoglyphics Forensic Medicine