Abstract
Mass spectrometry is a method of identifying molecules within a sample, based on a characteristic mass to charge ratio. Over the last decades, it has become possible to use mass spectrometry to obtain high resolution molecular images of surfaces. In this chapter, we will show how mass spectrometry techniques can be used to obtain high quality images of fingerprints, determine their placement compared with other traces (for example overlapping fingerprints or inks) and determine their chemical make-up for offender profiling purposes.