The purpose of the study was to compare such techniques as magnetic powdering, ruthenium tetroxide fuming, cyanoacrylate fuming followed by TEC dye staining, cyanoacrylate fuming using the 3M ultraviolet cartridge, iodine fuming followed by silver plate lifting, and the novel use of iodine fuming followed by the application of alpha-naphthoflavone. Cyanoacrylate followed by TEC staining proved to be inconsistent on warm, unwashed skin. Of all the techniques tested, however, when fingerprints were visualized by this method, they were of exceptional quality in terms of ridge detail. Of the non-fluorescent techniques tested, iodine fuming followed by spray application of alpha- naphthoflavone offered the most consistent and convenient method for visualizing good contrasting fingerprints on human skin. This technique had the advantage of being extremely quick and easy to attempt and provided satisfactory results. 34 references, 2 tables, and 8 figures