Taking a successful fingerprint impression
To ensure that you make a successful fingerprint impression, please follow these instructions carefully: your jewellery can only ever be as good as the fingerprint impression(s) you take.
You will need
- Blue non-toxic moulding material (in plastic pot)
- White non-toxic hardening material (in plastic pot)
- Playing card in a plastic packet (do not remove this card from the plastic packet)
- 2 x empty bags with labels (for your name) on the front
- Jewellery personalisation form
- Addressed padded return envelope
Steps
1. Please read through these instructions carefully and make sure you understand each step before you start.
2. The model’s hands should be washed and dried thoroughly (do NOT apply talc or hand cream, or use a baby wipe). You can wipe the model's fingertip with a clean, dry lint-free cloth if you wish.3. Remove the blue moulding material from the pot, and divide it into two equal balls. Place these on a plate or tile, on a smooth and level work surface.
4. Remove the white hardening material from the other pot, and divide it into two further balls.
5. You should now have 2 blue and 2 white balls of material in front of you. This will enable you to have two separate goes at taking the fingerprint, or to take a fingerprint from two people. Note that each fingerprint must be captured in its own moulding material – don’t try to use the same ball of mixed moulding material for more than one fingerprint.
WARNING! As soon as you mix any white material into the blue material, the hardening process starts, and you only have around 1 minute of working time left to capture the fingerprint in the material, so you need to work quite quickly from now onwards!
7. Remembering to work fast, very slightly flatten just the surface of the pale blue ball with the flat side of the playing card (still inside it’s plastic packet – this prevents the moulding material from sticking to the playing card) until it is roughly 1.5cm thick.8. Take hold of the model’s finger and firmly press the flat of the fingertip downwards into the flattened pale blue material using a confident and smooth motion (keep the 
finger level, ie horizontal to the table), to form a dip in the material, then lift the finger off. Do not press down so hard that you go right through the material (if the model is an adult or older child, they can do this part for themselves). The imprint doesn’t need to be very deep (around 5mm deep is fine), as it’s just the fingerprint we need.
9. Without touching or moving it, inspect the fingerprint impression immediately: if you have good eyesight, you 
should be able to see an imprint of a fingerprint in it. But don't panic if you can't see a fingerprint in it - send it back to us anyway, because we may still be able to use it.
11. Once you are happy with one (or both of) the fingerprint(s) you have captured, do not touch or move the fingerprint impression at all. Leave it alone to harden completely for 30 minutes. After this time, complete the label on the front of one of the empty plastic bags, place the fingerprint impression inside, and seal the bag.
12. Important: do not forget this step! Complete the enclosed jewellery personalisation form carefully.
13. Place the completed jewellery personalisation form and the plastic re-sealable bag(s) (containing the fingerprint impression(s)) into the padded return envelope. If supplied with an example of a correctly taken fingerprint impression, add this to the return envelope too.
14. Seal the return envelope. Affix correct postage (the packet will need to be weighed at a Post Office) and post the return envelope back to us. Note that packets with incorrect postage on may not arrive, delaying your order.
Have fun making your fingerprint impression!
Dabs & Doodles design team