Fingerprinting

1. Fingerprint Patterns

2. Fingerprint types
 While fingerprints are unique to each individual, there
are three general categories that fingerprints can be
placed into.
 Loop: 60-65% of the population
 Whorl: 30-35% of the population
 Arch: up to 5% of the population
 All categories are determined by the number of deltas
found within the pattern.

3. About the patterns
 Any fingerprint pattern which contains 2 or more delta's
will be a whorl pattern.
 If a print contains no delta's then it is an arch pattern.
 If it contains one (and only one) delta it will be a loop
pattern.
Later you will learn that the names are not as strait
forward as the rules suggest

4. General Loop Pattern
Right Loop starts from the right
Left Loop starts from the Left
Just One Delta

5. General Whorl Pattern
Whorls will always
have at least 2 valid
Deltas located within
the print

6. General Arch Pattern
Arch patterns
will have no
Deltas

7. Composite Patterns
 Within the general categories, there are several
different types of each print based on some major or
minor differences

8. Tented Arch patterns are steeper
than general arch patterns
General Arch Tented Arch

9. Double Loop Patterns look very
different from left or right loops
and have 2 deltas
Technically this is a double loop whorl

10. Central Loops/Pocket Loops look similar to
whorl patterns but obviously have a loop
from the left or right
Right Pocket Loop Left Pocket Loop
These are technically Left or Right
Central Pocket Loop Whorls

11. Accidental patterns look like an
Arch pattern and a loop pattern
mixed together. It is also known as
a mixed figure
If a pattern does
contain more than 2
delta's it will always be
an accidental whorl
pattern.

12. Assignment
 Get a piece of white paper and put all the prints from
each hand on the paper.
 Above each print you need to label the type of print that
each finger is.
 For your right hand, find and label three points (fork,
delta, etc.) within each fingerprint