What is a Document?

What is a Document?

A document is any material upon which a permanent or semi-permanent message can be imprinted. Forensic document examiners work with any substance that can impart a written message. While documents most frequently consist of paper written with pen or pencil, document examiners have studied typewritten materials, carbon copies, No Carbon Required (NCR) forms, graffiti on walls or locker doors, chalk on blackboards, mirrors marked with lipstick, markings on cardboard boxes, and blotting paper.

These days may document examiners receive documents in digital form. These forms include PDF, TIFF, JPEG, and other formats. Documents may be received via FAX. Documents received via FAX are converted from the source hard copy, to electronic, then back to hardcopy. There is software that will take an electronic document such as word processor software then send it as a FAX.

Documents are also sent via email as attachments using Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME).

A document can be an image of a hard copy page or a digital image that was created using a computer or other digital device such as a camera.