Question: how do you tell whos finger prints is whos

Richard Case answered on 26 Jan 2023:

When you look at your fingerprints closely you will see they are made from lots of different lines, which form different shapes and formations.

These shapes are known as patterns. The main ones are loops, whorls and arches… but there are lots of variations on these.

By looking at these patterns first, you can often include and exclude large numbers of potential matches.

If you are looking at fingerprints that have very similar patterns then you can look even closer at these lines, which are regularly interrupted by either stopping of forking into 2. These (and some variations) are called characteristics.

If when comparing we notice sufficient of these characteristics in agreement and none in disagreement (very much like spot the difference), then I can provide an opinion as to whether I believe the prints are identical.