Document Authentication Solutions:
Travel & Identity Documents


foster+freeman manufacture advanced solutions for use at all 3 lines of questioned document examination:

A first line examination may be described as the visual inspection of overt security features, which may be undertaken by a trained examiner using sight and touch alone.

Second line examination requires users of varying levels of expertise, using simple equipment, to be able to quickly and easily detect and authenticate semi-covert security features that cannot otherwise be discerned by the naked eye.

Third line examinations are conducted by QDE experts equipped with specialist equipment capable of revealing covert security features.


Identity Document Authentication Products

VSC® 8000/HS

For the Expert Analysis of Questioned Documents

Our most advanced QDE workstation to date, the VSC8000/HS combines sophisticated digital imaging and multi-wavelength illumination technology with a clear and efficient software interface, to provide a complete solution to the examination of all questioned documents.

  • High-Resolution 12MP camera
  • Super Resolution Imaging (SRI) up to 127MP  
  • 250x magnification
  • 15 Modes of advanced UV-Vis-IR imaging
  • 3D document imaging
  • Integrated microspectrometer 
  • Motorized XY document positioning stage
  • Calibration and self-test diagnostic tools

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Foster + Freeman VSC 8000HS.
Foster + Freeman VSC 8000HS. The ultimate, questioned document examination device.
VSC PDi+ Perfect Digital Capture of Travel and Identity Documents
VSC®PDi+Perfect Digital Capture of Travel and Identity Documents  The VSC-PDi+ captures ultra-high-resolution images of documents under a selection of light sources, storing them together with biometric and embedded data to create a full digital record of the physical document.Examination-quality digital copies of travel and identity documents can be interrogated on-the-spot or shared across a secure network for remote examination by users of any connected VSC instrument.

VSC® PDi+

Perfect Digital Image Capture of Travel and Identity Documents

The VSC-PDi+ captures ultra-high-resolution images of documents under a selection of light sources, storing them together with biometric and embedded data to create a full digital record of the physical document.

  • 45MP precision camera
  • Full-page passport imaging
  • Multi-spectral examination (UV, Vis, IR)
  • Positionable LED array for hologram imaging
  • Visible band filter and IR Viewing filter
  • Integral eChip RFID reader

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VSC® 80i

Intelligent Touch Screen Workstation for Travel and Identity Document Examination

Advanced forensic-level technology, operated via a simplified touchscreen interface, the VSC80i provides a complete solution to the examination of secure travel and identity documents including passports, ID cards, visas, entry permits, and drivers licences. 

  • Examine and Authenticate Documents
  • Identify Fakes and Counterfeits
  • Decode MRZ, e-Chip and Embedded Data

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Foster + Freeman VSC 80i Range.
Foster + Freeman VSC 80i Range featuring the VSC80i M1, VSC80i M2 and the VSC80i FS.
The ESDA process was originally discovered by Foster + Freeman more than 35 years ago and resulted in the founding of the company.Used by police forces and document examiners worldwide, ESDA instruments remain the systems of choice for the chemical-free and completely non-destructive detection of indented writing.
The ESDA process was originally discovered by Foster + Freeman more than 35 years ago and resulted in the founding of the company.Used by police forces and document examiners worldwide, ESDA instruments remain the systems of choice for the chemical-free and completely non-destructive detection of indented writing.

ESDA® 2

The Industry Standard System for Detecting Indented Writing

The ESDA® 2 works by creating an electrostatic image of indented writing, which is then visualized by the application of charge-sensitive toners. The sensitive imaging process reacts to sites of microscopic damage to fibres at the surface of a document, which have been created by abrasive interaction with overlying surfaces during the act of handwriting.

  • Creation of permanent records
  • Repeatable without loss of information
  • Effective on old documents
  • A3-sized document bed
  • Original cascade development method
  • Improved toner pad development
  • Optional aerosol hood for ‘powder cloud’ development
  • Replaceable vacuum bed

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