1,2-Indanedione reacts with amino acid residues in a latent fingermark to produce highly fluorescent ridges. The reagent is sensitive to environmental conditions, thus, different formulations have been proposed in the literature with HFE7100 or petroleum ether as carrier solvents. Australian researchers optimized the luminescence of 1,2-indanedione by combining it with a zinc chloride solution. This study consisted of the development of an optimized formula of 1,2-indanedione-zinc chloride in petroleum ether which has the advantage of being inexpensive. Its stability over time has also been evaluated. The solution, followed by ninhydrin post-treatment, was compared to the two traditional methods for latent print detection on porous surfaces, ninhydrin and 1,8-diazafluoren-9-one (DFO). Overall, the optimized formulation of 1,2-indanedione-zinc chloride in petroleum ether proved to be a viable alternative to DFO/ninhydrin. However, in some particular cases, ninhydrin is still needed as a post-treatment. Tables, figures, and references (Published Abstract)