Shoe-sole defects consist of nicks, scratches, cuts, punctures, tears, embedded air bubbles caused by manufacturing imperfections, and ragged holes. The position, configuration, and orientation of each defect, along with a specific combination of defects, are unique for each shoe sole after it has been subjected to random events that have occurred over the life of the shoe sole. A defect is characterized by its position on the sole of the shoe. The determination of position may be made relative to the perimeter of a shoe print, relative to particular tread elements or portions of patterns, or relative to other defects. If a defect is anything other than a point, it will have a distinctive shape that can be measured in terms of length, width, and shape. Also, a defect of any particular shape will have a specific rotational orientation that differentiates it from another similarly shaped defect that has a different angular orientation. A print examination should consider these variables--position, configuration, and orientation--for each defect and then in combination with all the other defects. These individual characteristics, along with the class characteristics of the sole, enable an examiner to determine whether a shoeprint at a crime scene matches a suspect's shoe. 7 tables, 12 figures, and 2 references