Is it possible to lift a fingerprint off an ordinary piece of white
paper or index card? If so how?

Hi maari,

What an interesting question and the short answer is "yes". There are
at least two methods of lifting fingerprints from paper. The first
uses "rubber-gelatin lifters", which are suitable for textured
surfaces because of their thickness. The problem with paper is the
uneven surface - a fingerprint on paper becomes visible when brushed
with powder, but regular tape-lifters do not come in contact with the
powder that has landed in the deeper parts of the paper, and so the
lifted prints will be missing some details. Rubber-gelatin lifters are
thick and are able to get down into all the inner recesses and form a
sort of "cast" that can then be lifted off the paper as a whole. The
second method consists of fuming the prints with Cyanoacrylate (Super
Glue), dusting with powder, and then lifted using lifting tape.

Rubber-Gelatin Lifters
"These rubber-gelatin lifters are especially developed for the lifting
of fingerprints, footprints, dustmarks and micro traces. The thick,
non-aggressive, low-adhesive gelatin layer permits the lifting of
traces from almost every surface, including porous materials, such as
paper or cardboard. Lifted prints can be collected for photography or
closer examination.
http://www.redwop.com/technotes.asp?ID=92

Fuming with Cyanoacrylate (Super Glue™)
"Most latent prints developed with glue fuming will have white ridges
and will be quite noticeable. Sometimes, however, the latent prints
will be very difficult to see; therefore, each piece of evidence must
be carefully inspected. Oblique lighting from a flashlight will be
helpful. It is suggested that these prints be photographed before
other processes are used. The latent prints can be visually enhanced
by dusting with regular or magnetic fingerprint powder contrasting
with the background. Once dusted with powder, glue-fumed latent prints
can sometimes be lifted with regular lifting tape. The latent prints
are quite durable and usually can be lifted more than once. Sometimes
the second lift is clearer than the first.
http://www.redwop.com/technotes.asp?ID=80

Additional Links:

Activities:
http://www.nifs.com.au/FactFiles/Fingerprints/activities.asp?page=activities

Obtaining and Recording Phsical Evidence: Fingerprints
http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/19-20/ch7.pdf

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, please post a
clarification request before rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer


Google Search Terms:

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Your answer was so well explained and organized.  I didn't know there
were various ways.  You sound like a highly respected forensics
expert.  I am going to give you more money because I feel you deserve
it.  It isn't high because I don't have much money.  But if I did, I
would give you a great amount of money.  Thank you for such a great
answer!

Dear maari,

My goodness, I'm blushing. Thank you so much for your kind thoughts
and generous tip - I'm happy that you are happy. It turned out to be
an interesting question and I enjoyed doing the research.

Sincerely,
hummer