The research was prompted by the significantly increasing number of counterfeiting and forgery cases involving photocopiers during the past few years. The photocopied documents were analyzed through a series of optical examinations at different magnifications and under different illumination conditions. In addition, toner samples were extracted from each photocopy and analyzed by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The results permitted the construction of a computerized database that can be used to identify a particular photocopier model or group of models that may have been used to produce a forged or counterfeit document. The database was constructed so that any laboratory with only limited analytical resources can make a decision, after optical examination, regarding whether a chemical analysis is required. The program is easy to use; the user needs only to provide answers to a multiple-choice questionnaire. The database allows the identification only of a particular model or group of models; the identification of an individual machine requires an analysis of specific alterations or defects. Table, figures, appended questionnaire, and 5 references (Author abstract modified)