Is the signature forgery?

A document examiner is not able to declare a signature or document is a forgery! Since forgery requires intent to deceive this opinion is not for the document examiner to offer. The questioned document examiner may opine whether the signature is authentic or not authentic. Forgery is for the trier of fact to determine.

Your document examiner must view the writing under magnification in order to ascertain whether it is written in ink or is printed mechanically.

Given the capability of modern low cost printers, a signature printed on a mechanical device may appear to be ink. Software such as Adobe Photoshop may be used to lift a signature from one document and place it onto another document. The second document is then printed on a color printer. The result may appear as a legitimate document

Is it a forgery?

Is the document authentic?

The example above shows how a signature can be lifted from one document and placed onto a second document. If the document examiner does not have proper equipment to examine the document, they may opine the signature and document are authentic. The signature from the tax form was lifted then placed onto a scanned image of the check. The check could then be printed on a color printer, then sent to a merchant for product.

On cross examination you may want to ask the document examiner whether they made an attempt to authenticate the document or determine whether the signature was written in ink. Ask the questioned document examiner the methodology used to determine the forgery. Then ask the document examiner how they know this is a forgery or whether the duplicated signature was placed with knowledge of the person whose name is signed.