Fingerprints are one of the most prevalent and discriminating
types of forensic evidence that can be recovered during the
investigation of a crime. Depending on the substrate on which the
print has been deposited, chemical, physical, optical and photographic
enhancement techniques are available to improve the
visibility of the friction ridge detail. In many circumstances it is
equally advisable to lift the print from a known substrate and
transfer it to a secondary backing material that serves to improve
the contrast of the ridges with respect to the background.
Unfortunately, lifting may not fully eliminate background interferences
when dealing with non-porous substrates. Moreover, it
may not actually be part of a valid or recommended detection