This research examines powder techniques to improve latent fingerprint detection, highlighting surface properties and their impact.
The efficiency and the deposition of the Latent fingerprint are strongly affected by the surface on which prints are deposited. The roughness of the surface the properties of the material the hydrophobicity and chemistry can also effect the efficacy or the usefulness of the forensic print development techniques. For detecting the latent fingerprints the powder technique involves the application of a lightly divided formulation to the finger mark impression, commonly with a glass-fibre or a camel hair brush. Mechanically the powder gets adhered to the sweat deposit defining the ridge pattern. The furrows which are devoid of the fingerprint residue do not hold the powder onto them. The final outcome is that the powder formulation sticks to the ridges, but is easily blown off the furrows. Since the powder is normally coloured, the ridge pattern becomes visible and the latent print is said to have developed.
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Yadav et al. (2025) studied this question.
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