The easiest thing to do I would suggest is to compare the the POI’s writing to as a whole against the Zodiac letters on the site. This way you can see the other information that Z’s writing contains. By other info I am referring to things such as his habits in spacing, the shape of his baselines, the increasing lean to the right as he moves across the page etc. Unfortunately this also affects how Zodiac creates his characters as well. They become more pointed and less rounded so you could compare to one side of his writing think it doesn’t match but it may match the center or the right side of a page.

Nothing is simple in this case. Least of all the handwriting. Haven’t even touched on the envelopes

So … compare EVERYTHING you have to EVERYTHING.

You may or may not be comfortable about sharing what you have but a suggestion could be to post here:

viewforum.php?f=107

This section isn’t open to non members so it doesn’t show up in web searches and can’t be viewed unless you’re a member here.

Thank you!! Very helpful tips. I have only a limited supply of handwriting samples, if it’s even his handwriting at all, unfortunately. I’m just beginning my research on this guy. I’m also researching a couple more. I’m not set on any one person as being Z. Just trying to follow the clues. I will gladly post under the top you suggested as soon as I get a chance. Maybe in a day or three.

The 3-stroke K with the occasional 2-stroke K thrown in.
The candy cane f.
The checkmark r.
The rightward slant, usually.
The placement of the dot on the i to the right of the stem.
The gap between the h and t (IIRC) when he writes ght.
The gaps in words like some thing, where they shouldn’t be.
The distinct number 2.

Traveler can check these for accuracy.

The 3-stroke K with the occasional 2-stroke K thrown in.
The candy cane f.
The checkmark r.
The rightward slant, usually.
The placement of the dot on the i to the right of the stem.
The gap between the h and t (IIRC) when he writes ght.
The gaps in words like some thing, where they shouldn’t be.
The distinct number 2.

Traveler can check these for accuracy.

And the letter T that looks like a plus sign ( + )

Thanks for posting those. Certainly the infamous things to look out for and a good summation of them. All look good to me.

Advice:

1. Keep in mind that handwriting analysis is far less of an exact science than you might be led to believe. Even experts in the field can come to completely different conclusions – even in the Zodiac case.

2. If you do any comparisons, leave it to the confirmed Zodiac writings. Don’t include those that aren’t.

The 3-stroke K with the occasional 2-stroke K thrown in.
The candy cane f.
The checkmark r.
The rightward slant, usually.
The placement of the dot on the i to the right of the stem.
The gap between the h and t (IIRC) when he writes ght.
The gaps in words like some thing, where they shouldn’t be.
The distinct number 2.

Traveler can check these for accuracy.

Wow! This is extremely helpful. Thanks everyone. I only have 2 small samples and not even sure either one is handwriting. For example, who usually fills out the draft cards?

I know that I can change my handwriting from its usual, scrawl like a spider is peeing on the paper that I can hardly read when taking notes, to something nice when I put the effort in. However, to maintain a constant style really does require a certain amount of effort, or a longer time spent when writing to avoid straining.
As for how Zodiac has managed to keep the same handwriting over the pages he wrote baffles me, because my writing gets even worse after 2 paragraphs!
So, was Zodiac an avid writer who had strong wrists and fingers to avoid the changes in writing style over long texts? I think so.

This then defies the idea that he wrote his ciphers and correspondences quickly. They look rushed, the bomb sketches look poor, but I think that is the intention to hide his true hand as the style is so recognised even when seen only once or twice. If he only slipped into his Zodiac style when writing in his usual hand just the once, then the publicity he garnished might have ended up nailing his ass. Remember, he was generating the interest in his ciphers, so if you then how would you prevent such a slip up?

I would write the letters with my less dominant hand, and create the artistry of the cipher symbols with my dominant in a style that followed several fonts.

Remember, this was back before computers. So, was he someone who was adept in linguistics, penmanship, art/drawing and languages (in order to select the fonts)? Libraries would’ve been a good place to start. Maybe this is what Zodiac was hinting at when he purposely included Cheri Jo Bates in his northern CA kills, as that’s the twisted logic in his game that I’m seeing here.

The 3-stroke K with the occasional 2-stroke K thrown in.
The candy cane f.
The checkmark r.
The rightward slant, usually.
The placement of the dot on the i to the right of the stem.
The gap between the h and t (IIRC) when he writes ght.
The gaps in words like some thing, where they shouldn’t be.
The distinct number 2.

Traveler can check these for accuracy.

When did he do a 2-stroke K?

The 3-stroke K with the occasional 2-stroke K thrown in.
The candy cane f.
The checkmark r.
The rightward slant, usually.
The placement of the dot on the i to the right of the stem.
The gap between the h and t (IIRC) when he writes ght.
The gaps in words like some thing, where they shouldn’t be.
The distinct number 2.

Traveler can check these for accuracy.

When did he do a 2-stroke K?