Have you ever input your ID and slammed your fingerprint on the machine, and nothing happened? You lift your finger, clean it with your hanky, and again, it gets rejected.
Fingerprints are our unique identifiers – no two humans have the same fingerprints, not even identical twins. That’s the idea behind all biometrics, whether you’re unlocking your smartphone or fingerprints, are taken to run a criminal background check.
However, as a human, you are exposed to many activities that can cause wear, infections, and distortion of your fingerprints. When such happens, it becomes hard for fingerprint machines to process your fingerprints when such happens.
Today’s piece will discuss what causes fingerprint rejection, what happens when fingerprints are rejected and how to reduce the risk of your fingerprints getting rejected.
Causes of Low-Quality Fingerprint
Any activity involving heavy use of hands can cause calluses and begin to smoothen your fingerprints, thus increasing the risk of your fingerprints getting rejected.
Below are some of the common reasons why your fingerprint quality is low:
- Frequent washing and scrubbing of hands with soaps and sanitizers reduces the natural oils of hands and causes wear of the fingerprints
- Frequent involvement in activities that create calluses, such as playing musical instruments, manual labor, rock climbing, and weight lifting
- Certain types of office work such as mailroom work, typing, and nurses
- Elderly ones might also struggle to get their fingerprints captured due to loss of elasticity
- Exposure to harsh chemicals such as chlorine and bleach
- Heredity and genetic factors.
While some of these factors, frequent washing hands and use of harsh chemicals, can be controlled or avoided, others, like genetic factors and aging, can’t be controlled.
What Happens When Your Fingerprints are Rejected?
Here either of the two scenarios will happen:
The most common is you visit a certified livescan fingerprinting agency like Certifix to get your fingerprints enrolled. When the fingerprints are of poor quality, our professional staff will immediately notice and ask you to scan your fingerprints again. If it doesn’t work after several trials, we’ll ask you to go home and give you some tips that may help increase the quality of your fingerprints.
The second scenario is when the fingerprinting agency accepts your fingerprint and forwards it to the agency you’re submitting to but gets rejected there. In this case, your application can be seriously delayed. As such, it’s recommended you take steps to prevent it from happening.
Moisturize with Quality Lotion
We all love soft and heavenly scents; however, we don’t know that these beauty lotions aren’t ideal for people who wash their hands frequently.
Next time you go shopping, consider choosing lotions that are less scenting and contain a high amount of natural oils. This means – buying creams so that their ingredients’ names look familiar.
Olive oil, Shea butter, oatmeal creams, and lotions should be your choices. It’s recommended you moisturize your hands at least thrice daily. Use hand lotion every time you wash and dry your hands.
However, avoid using hand moisturizer on the day of your fingerprint appointment.
Use Natural Oils
In some cases, when the fingerprint machine keeps rejecting your fingerprint, using a bit of natural oil can help make your finger ridges more visible. Some people scratch their fingers on their heads to make the hills more straightforward. Well, you can do that, but avoid licking or blowing your fingers, as that can lead to the spreading of some harmful bacteria.
Reduce the Use of Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizers mostly contain alcohol and other chemicals that cause drying of the hands. Even if moisturizers are added to the sanitizer, the effect of those chemicals will render it almost useless.
It would help to wash your hands with soap and warm water whenever possible. Also, avoid drying with toilet paper; instead, allow your hands to air dry, then use a moisturizer lotion.
Choose a Non-Dominant Finger for Scanners
We mainly use our dominant hand’s forefinger for fingerprinting; however, that isn’t a must. If it’s giving you a hard time, consider switching to the middle or ring finger of the other hand.
Choose Livescan Fingerprint
This, however, depends on where your fingerprint is needed. Most employment checks and criminal background checks already use an electronic fingerprint. However, if you’re in a situation where you are given a chance to choose between ink-based and electronic fingerprinting, the latter is better.
Ink-based fingerprints require good ridges and dry fingers and must be error-free; then, they’ll be taken to the required agency. So, if your card got rejected, it can take you days, if not weeks, to redo it. In the case of electronic fingerprinting, they can be rescanned several times until you’re satisfied it looks right.
Plan Ahead
Treat your fingers like queens before your appointment, especially if there’s a risk of your fingerprints getting rejected. If you are a gardener or love climbing rocks, take a break one week before your appointment.
If your work exposes you to low-quality fingerprints, consider scheduling your appointment after the weekend before going to work. Also, use hand moisturizers for 5-7 days before your day of the meeting. As said earlier, you should avoid using hand moisturizer on the day of your appointment, as it can make it hard for the scanner to read your fingerprints.
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Go to a Reputable Fingerprinting Agency
Consider getting your fingerprints taken at a certified and reputable agency like Certifix. Our well-trained staff can detect low-quality fingerprints and help you rescan your hands before forwarding them to the required agency.
Wrap Up
The tips mentioned above are straightforward and can help reduce the risk of your fingerprints getting rejected. While these tips might take some of your time, it’s still better than having to reapply for a criminal background check due to low-quality fingerprints.
Getting your fingerprint right saves time, energy, and money. With our tips and the right fingerprint center, your fingerprint experience wouldn’t be annoying!
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