420 NORTH 16th STREET -- PHILADELPHIA, PA 19130

we are the Original Fingerprinting Photo Truck

near the northwest corner of

16^th Street and Callowhill Street

parked at the curb for 35+ years

(next to Phila Community College)

215-219-9238

fingerprintingphototruck@yahoo.com

WE HAVE A NEW OWNER!

BARBARA JACKSON now owns the business,

after ROBERT BRAUN's retirement

Originally established as Rosa-Photo-and-Fingerprinting

37 years ago by the Braun Family, and

Now known as "The Original Fingerprinting PhotoTruck,"

We strive to continue our legacy of excellent service, and accessibility to

FBI Fingerprinting, Professional Passport Photos and Immigration Filings

Very little has changed under the leadership of Barbara,

who is considered the best fingerprinter in Philadelphia,

although she inevitably is bringing a more modern feel

to this greatly beloved business.

Moreover, Robert has agreed to make himself available

during the transition period for any issues that might arise.

and...

WE'VE MOVED TO 420 NORTH 16th STREET !!!

VERY IMPORTANT--

We have permanently relocated our Photo-and-Fingerprint Van

to the 400 block of North 16^th Street,

between Callowhill and Spring Garden Streets.

(In other words, we are no longer at 1550 Callowhill Street!!!)

Instead, we are now parked in front of the 4-storey parking

garage at 420 North 16^th Street, Phila PA 19130.

Our hours are as follows:

Weekdays 8 to 5, plus Saturdays 12 noon to 5

In general, walk-in is fine--

appointments are needed only for immigration applications

and for special needs/handicap assistance.

For more info, or to make an appointment,

please call us at 215.219.9238

And we certainly hope to see you soon !!!

Because fingerprinting is a very "up close and personal" activity,

it is inevitable that you will be within two feet of our fingerprinters!

Thus, even though Covid-19 regs have eased considerably,

nevertheless we continue to wear masks,

and we would prefer, please, that you wear a mask as well.

NAVIGATING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE

1.    Who we are and what we do

2.    Our Fees

3.    Our Location and How to Get Here

4.    Our Hours, including Special Holiday Hours: 

5.    Our Fingerprint Cards or Yours ??? and Which FBI Card to Use ???

6.    Entering your Data on a Blank Fingerprint Card

7.    *VIP* Fingerprinting at Your Location!  

8.    Special Help for People with *Bad* Fingertips

9A.    Other Services that we Offer:  passport, visa and immigration photography; Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Background Checks (your report is ready in 15 minutes); custom-made ID cards for businesses; e-filings of US immigration (USCIS) application forms I-90 and N-565; US State Department Immigrant Diversity Visa "Green Card" Lottery registration; and sales of small quantities of blank FD-258 FBI fingerprint cards.

9B.    For Notarizations and Apostilles:  (including securing an apostille on a report from the FBI, based on your fingerprint submission) We cordially recommend Judi Lawrence at Center City Notary, 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1415, Phila 19110, tel. 215.870.3103, www.centercitynotary.com

10.    How To Easily Contact Us

1.  Who we are--what we do and what we don't do:

For the last 35+ years, our famous Rosa Fingerprinting and Photo Truck/Van/Mobile Unit has been parked at the curb, at the northwest corner of 16^th Street and Callowhill Street (in zipcode 19130).  We are right next to Philadelphia Community College, and we are around the corner from the Philadelphia Police Headquarters Building (which occupies what used to be the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspaper Building, with its beautiful clock-tower) and the Philadelphia School District Building.  We are also quite near Philadelphia City Hall, the Convention Center, and the entire Museum District along Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  And from our Van, we serve the public with FINGERPRINTING; PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS; PHOTOGRAPHY for passports (first-time applications as well as electronic renewals), photos for visas for all countries of the world, professional licenses and gun permits; and IMMIGRATION SERVICES (such as USCIS on-line filings for I-90 and N-565, as well as Diversity Visa Lottery Registration).  **If you have any Disability or Handicap or any Special Need or Situation that prevents you from stepping into our Van, then upon request (215.219.9238) and with no surcharge to you, we will bring our equipment out, onto the curb at 16th Street, for your convenience.**

Rolled fingerprints on FBI fingerprint cards

We do rolled FINGERPRINTING on FBI standard FD-258, FD-1164 and SF-87 fingerprint cards (or their equivalents, as issued by various Federal agencies and State governments) for almost any purpose, including professional license applications (such as law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, banking, insurance, casinos and marijuana dispensaries), for Identogo criminal background checks for employment in schools, child-care and home-care positions, for other pre-employment screening (for almost all State and Federal Government positions, including Peace Corps), criminal record checks, FINRA, college enrollment (especially for health-care programs at Jefferson University, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Rowan University, and various other schools, including clearances through Exxat), for CMS enrollment (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), for the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, for name-change applications, expungement petitions, casino and on-line gaming licenses, gun license ("carry permit") applications for various states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arizona and Florida, as well as for the ATF), Ohio clearances on their special BCI fingerprint cards, immigration applications for various countries including Portugal, Canada and Australia, and applications for passport renewals for such countries as Ethiopia and South Africa.  Our work is recommended by Philadelphia City Hall, the Philadelphia Police, and several other local and state police departments.

We guarantee that our fingerprint cards are acceptable at the FBI!                     We guarantee that our fingerprint cards are acceptable at the FBI!                     We guarantee that our fingerprint cards are acceptable at the FBI!                     We guarantee that our fingerprint cards are acceptable at the FBI!                     We guarantee that our fingerprint cards are acceptable at the FBI!                     We guarantee that our fingerprint cards are acceptable at the FBI!                     We guarantee that our fingerprint cards are acceptable at the FBI!

We are a private company, and thus we are not a law enforcement agency.  On the other hand, under normal circumstances, neither the Pennsylvania State Police nor the Philadelphia Police Department fingerprints individuals unless they are being arrested.  If you have instructions that your fingerprints "should/must" be taken by a police department, please don't stress out about this!  There is no way for government agencies all over the USA to know that our local police departments are not set up to help you. Moreover, there are not a lot of government agencies in other parts of the USA, or overseas, that are aware that the FBI will always accept fingerprint cards that are properly prepared by qualified private vendors like us.  

IN FACT, WE OFFER A MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE THAT OUR FINGERPRINT CARDS WILL NOT BE REJECTED BY THE FBI BECAUSE WE, AS A PRIVATE COMPANY, HAVE PREPARED THE CARDS.

And if you have instructions from a state like California or Florida or Arizona or New Jersey that seem to give the impression that you must submit your fingerprints by live-scan, do not despair-- in fact, all states still have a mechanism to accept FD-258 fingerprint cards from "out-of-state" applicants, and indeed we will always help you with any special paperwork accompanying the fingerprint card(s) that you submit.

WE ALSO GUARANTEE THAT NO ONE WILL REJECT OUR CARDS BECAUSE THEY WERE "POORLY PREPARED."  MOREOVER, IF YOU HAVE "PROBLEMATIC" FINGERTIPS, WE WILL WORK WITH YOU AND GIVE YOU THE SPECIAL ATTENTION YOU NEED TO GET THE BEST FINGERPRINT IMAGES POSSIBLE.  BE CAREFUL and BE AWARE--IF YOUR FINGERPRINTS ARE NOT CORRECTLY PREPARED, THE FBI WILL REJECT YOUR FINGERPRINT CARDS, AND IN TURN YOU WILL LOSE MONEY and VALUABLE TIME!

We do not mail your fingerprint card(s) to the FBI, unless we are required to because of a "chain of custody" issue.  Instead, we give you a very sturdy envelope, and then you mail it.  After we have fingerprinted you, you should send the card(s) to whomever you have been instructed.  In addition, we are happy to give you instructions on how to register yourself on the FBI website and then send the card(s) directly to the FBI--and if you do, you will normally receive your official FBI report in 4 to 6 business days.

"Live-scan" a/k/a "digital/electronic" fingerprinting ???

Although we do not do "live scan" (also called "digital" and "electronic") fingerprinting, we can certainly help you-- even if you are under the impression that you are "required" to use "live-scan."   Here are several scenarios:

a.    If you need a Pennsylvania "Safe Check" clearance (for instance, in connection with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, or the Pennsylvania Department of Education, or the Pennsylvania Department of Aging) and you already have an Identogo fingerprint registration, then, for our $20.00 fee, we will fingerprint you (on one standard FD-258 FBI fingerprint card, and even a second FBI card for free (!) if you have "bad" fingers).  You will then mail (in the sturdy envelope that we provide for free) the FBI card or cards to Identogo, which in turn will scan them (instead of scanning your fingers).  Indeed, whether you fingers are "live-scanned" or whether your traditional fingerprint card is scanned, either way, Identogo will send your data to the FBI, and then your FBI clearance will be released within the same time-frame (usually 6-10 days).  On the other hand, if you are not yet registered on the Identogo website, then when you visit us (and, by the way, no appointment is needed!) we will register you as a courtesy, just before we fingerprint you (although you will still be responsible for paying Identogo's registration fee, and the cost of mailing). 

Finally, if we have processed you through Identogo, then we will do the following for you:  as you are leaving, we will email you a scan of your fingerprints plus your Identogo registration, so that you can immediately forward our email to your new employer.  And why this double emailing, you might ask?  Here's why:  a majority of employers who deal with childfen and/or the elderly have a "30-day grace period" policy that states, more or less, that upon their seeing that your were properly fingerprinted for the FBI via Identogo, the employer will then allow you to start working immediately, even before the fingerprinting results come back.

b.    If your goal is to be approved for a professional license in any state other than Pennsylvania (if, for instance, you are a nurse or a physician who needs a license for such states as California, Florida and Arizona), and if it is "recommended" to you--or even if you are "instructed"--to get "live scan" fingerprinting, then don't waste your time looking for the impossible, and here is why:  "live scan" is not generally available to the public in Pennsylvania, and it almost certainly is not available to you, because vendors here that do "live scan" are set up to process submissions almost exclusively for Pennsylvania licenses and clearances.  In reality, licensing regulators in all states are aware that "live scan" is not generally available in Pennsylvania, and that therefore you will need to use their special procedures to submit standard FD-258 FBI fingerprint cards, whereupon you (or if absolutely necessary, we) will send the fingerprint card(s) to whatever address you are instructed to use.  Depending on which state you are dealing with, you might want to mention that we are recommended by many local police departments, including the Philadelphia Police Department, and in addition that our fingerprints are, by law, accepted by the FBI. 

c.    If you are making an application for any purpose, in any state, where you "need" (or if you think you need) fingerprint processing via Identogo, please keep in mind that Identogo normally allows you to bypass their appointment booking system, and instead be fingerprinted by anyone (by us, for instance!) on an FBI fingerprint card--and indeed if you do the Identogo fingerprinting with us, you will suffer no delay in getting an appointment, because we do not require appointments:  walk-ins are always fine.  Thus, for instance, you do not have a wait for more than a month to get an appointment at a New Jersey live-scan location in order to complete your New Jersey Firearms Licensing application, because we can fingerprint you today, with no appointment.  And as a courtesy, for free, we will always do the work to properly register you on the challenging and sometimes confusing Identogo website, although you will still have to pay Identogo's registration fees (in particular, you will pay us, and then we will remit your payment to Identogo.

d.    In general, if "live scan" equipment cannot record a good set of images for you, or if you or your client is bedridden and thus cannot go to a "live scan" location, or if someone is Disabled/Handicapped in some fashion, or has a Special Need, and thus cannot use "live scan" equipment, or if you have found a "live scan" location that has impossible hours or is just too far away or is in the wrong neighborhood, then we are ready to help--we will work with you to overcome any challenge!  For instance, we have been hired many times by the Department of Human Services of the City of Philadelphia to fingerprint bed-ridden and elderly individuals in their own homes, and we also work with various hospitals in the area to fingerprint their bed-ridden patients.  **If you have any Disability/Handicap or Special Need or Situation that prevents you from stepping up, in order to enter our Van, then upon request (by calling us at 215.219.9238) we will bring our equipment out, onto the curb at 16th Street, for your convenience.**

e.    We normally do not do fingerprinting for US immigration purposes, because the USCIS has its own in-house fingerprinting system.  However, if the USCIS Application Support Center's "live scan" doesn't work for your fingers, then the USCIS can authorize us to fingerprint you "the old fashioned way."   But most importantly, if your immigration attorneys want you to be checked out by the FBI before their law office files paperwork for you with USCIS, or if you yourself want to make sure, before you file immigration paperwork for yourself, that no criminal record exists for "someone" with your same name, birthdate and/or fingerprints, then we are most happy to help you and your attorneys.

f.    IDENTIFICATION:  before we fingerprint you, we need to verify your identity. Normally, our clients will show us a drivers license or passport, but there are many, many other forms of ID that we will accept, especially for individuals with "special" circumstances, such as minors, undocumented citizens of other countries, and people with lost or expired ID.  Do not despair:  we will always use common sense in order to help you, while still conforming to FBI fingerprint regulations.  So, if you have a special situation, please call us at 215-219-9238 (or have your attorney call us)--  you will not be disappointed.

g.    Finally, we regret to inform you that we cannot help you with fingerprinting for three very specialized clearances:  Act 235, TWIC and Hazmat.  In addition, we do not "lift" latent fingerprints from objects touched by someone's hands.  Sorry!

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2.  Our fees:

When you visit us at our location, we charge $25 (tax included) if you need one fingerprint card, and then for additional cards (if you need more than one) the price drops to $20/card.  This is the least expensive price for fingerprinting in the area!  If you need "live scan" fingerprint services in conjunction with Identogo Pennsylvania "Safe Check" clearances, then we offer the very special price of $20.00 (complete), including on-line registration plus the actual preparation of one fingerprint card (or two cards, if a second is needed because of "bad fingers"), but you will still have to pay Identogo's normal processing fee (in 2025, the fee is usually $24.95, and is reduced to $22.95 for volunteer positions), and then you will mail (in the very sturdy envelope that we give you for free) to Identogo the fingerprint card(s) that we've prepared for you.

If we are going to visit you at your business or at your home, anywhere in the Delaware Valley, New Jersey, Delaware or Maryland, the final cost you'll pay will be a reflection of our travel and time involved.  Our minimum fee is $300 and it includes up to 12 fingerprint cards.  (This fee is for a business office or private home address in Center City; the fee increases with your distance away from Philadelphia.)   For a small business with several employees, this pricing can be quite effective, once you take into account the time and the money that will be saved by your staff not having to travel anywhere, or to spend productive time away from your location!  (click here to read more about VIP Fingerprinting at Your Location)

We maintain a computer connection with the Pennsylvania State Police whereby we can secure for you, in 15 minutes, your official Pennsylvania Criminal Record Check. We charge $35 for this service.

Our prices for photos (any size you need for any passport, visa or professional application) can't be beat!  For instance, if you need 2 images printed out, the cost is $15; if you need 4 images, then the cost is $25; if you need 6, then the cost is $30; and if you need more than 6, the the cost increases in increments of $5 for every 2 additional photos we print out for you. AND we include, for free, your image emailed to you as a jpg or pdf, if you so desire.  (and btw, at STAPLES, the normal price for 2 passport photos + 1 jpg is $24.99)

For US immigration e-filing paperwork, we charge a flat fee of $100 if you need help with replacing your "Green Card" (this is form I-90, for which you will also pay the USCIS charge of $415), or $100 if you need help with replacing your Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship (USCIS form N-565, for which the government charges $505).  Please call ahead to book a (required) appointment for these complicated and time-consuming services!  Our fee to help with your Diversity Visa ("Green Card") Lottery registration will depend on how many of your family members are to be included in your filing--and thus when you book an appointment for this service (required), we will tell you the exact cost (but don't worry, we promise that the fee will be modest, just like all of our prices).

ALL PRICES QUOTED ON THIS WEBSITE INCLUDE APPLICABLE TAXES.  We accept almost all forms of payment except credit and debit cards and personal checks.  In other words, we welcome cash, money orders and business checks (payable, by the way, to "Barbara Jackson"), as well as Zelle, Venmo and CashApp.  Everyone is given a receipt.

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3.  Our location and how to get here:

We are not in a building!  Rather, for the last 35 years, we have been in a large Mobile Unit or Van or "Lorry," parked near the northwest corner of North 16^th and Callowhill Streets, right next to Philadelphia Community College's 4-storey parking garage.  In fact we are parked on the west side of North 16^th (which has northbound traffic only), between Callowhill and Spring Garden Streets.  (If our van had an address, it would be 420 North 16^th Street, Phila PA 19130.)  There is excellent on-street parking (paid at on-curb kiosks) on North 16^th Street, on Callowhill Street and on Spring Garden Street.   Our Van has big signs that say “ROSA PHOTO and FINGERPRINTING.”  If this is confusing, please think about a "lunch truck" without food, or a library-on-wheels, or even a blood-mobile!  Here is a map showing where we are in Center City, as well as a photo of our famous Van, along with our even more glorious owner/manager, Miss Barbara Jackson:

and...

Here is Miss Barbara Jackson--the best fingerprinter in Philadelphia--at the back of our high-tech
photo-and-fingerprint mobile unit, located in Center City at 420 N. 16^th St, Philadelphia PA 19130
(between Callowhill and Spring Garden Streets, right next to Philadelphia Community College)

Directions To Our Location, at 420 North 16th Street, Philadelphia PA 19130

We are right next to Philadelphia Community College, and we are around the corner from the new Philadelphia Police Headquarters (housed in the historic Philadelphia Inquirer Newspaper Building) and the Philadelphia School District Building; we are also quite near Philadelphia City Hall, the Convention Center, and the entire Museum District along Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  There is abundant parking (paid at on-the-curb kiosks) on North 16^th, on Callowhill, and on Spring Garden Streets. 

IF YOU ARE DRIVING, WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE BROAD STREET EXIT OF I-676 (the Vine Street Expressway)

WE ARE ALSO VERY CLOSE TO SEVERAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION LINES, FOR INSTANCE:

SEPTA Bus No. 2, which runs north on 16^th Street, has a stop at the southeast corner of 16^th and Callowhill Streets.  Once you disembark, just look straight ahead (the same direction that the bus is traveling), and then walk north some 90 feet (towards Spring Garden) to our Van, with its big signs that say "Rosa Photo."

SEPTA Market-Frankford subway-elevated train line, or any SEPTA underground trolley line:  use the 15^th Street stop; exit onto street at 16^th Street and JFK Blvd., walk north 5 short blocks to Callowhill Street (or take SEPTA Bus No. 2 that runs on 16^th Street to the corner of Callowhill Street), and then walk an additional 90 feet northbound (towards Spring Garden Street) to our Van.

SEPTA Broad Street subway train line:  use the Spring Garden Street stop; walk westbound along Spring Garden (in the direction of Community College) 2 blocks until the corner of North 16^th Street, then turn left (southbound) and walk 200 feet along 16^th Street towards Callowhill Street and towards Center City, where you will see our Van, with its big signs that say "Rosa Photo."

 

If You Are Driving: a Driving southbound on I-95, from northeast Philadelphia or Bucks County:  use Exit 22, which includes the Callowhill Street Exit (and make sure that you stay in the very far right lane of this four-lane exit!).  At the base of the exit ramp (which becomes 2nd Street if you were to continue driving south towards Market Street), make a right turn at the first traffic light into Callowhill Street, and then proceed westbound on Callowhill for five minutes to the corner of 16th Street, and then (finally!) turn right into 16th  Street, whereupon you will see our truck, with its large “Rosa Photo” signs, parked on the left, or west, side of the street.  There is abundant on-street kiosk-paid parking on Callowhill, 16th and Spring Garden Streets.   Driving northbound on I-95, from Delaware, Delaware County, PHL Airport and the Walt Whitman Bridge:  use I-95 Exit 22 for Callowhill Street. This is also the exit for I-676 ("Vine Street Expressway").  PLEASE NOTE:  this is a “left exit” and it has two lanes; you should use the right-most lane, because you will immediately exit onto Callowhill Street itself.  Then proceed westbound on Callowhill for five minutes to the corner of 16th Street, and then (finally!) turn right into 16th  Street, whereupon you will see our truck, with its large “Rosa Photo” signs, parked on the left, or west, side of the street.  There is abundant on-street kiosk-paid parking on Callowhill, 16th and Spring Garden Streets.   Driving eastbound on the Schuykill Expressway I-76, from the western suburbs (including traffic coming from the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the PA Turnpike Northeast Extension):  use Exit 344, which is the exit for I-676 East towards the Benjamin Franklin Brdige; this is the exit right after the Spring Garden Street Exit.  This “left exit” has two lanes, and you should stay in the right lane because you will then exit at the Broad Street / 15th Street Exit.  Stay in the far right lane of that exit ramp, because at the top of the exit ramp, at the first traffic light, you will make a right turn into 15th Street (southbound), and then proceed to the next corner, whereupon you will make a right turn into Spring Street.  Take Spring Street westbound one block until it ends at the next corner (at 16th Street), whereupon you will make an obligatory right turn and proceed northbound on 16th Street, past Vine Street, and then past the intersection with Callowhill Street, whereupon you will see our truck, with its large “Rosa Photo” signs, parked on the left, or west, side of the street.  There is abundant on-street kiosk-paid parking on Callowhill, 16th and Spring Garden Streets.   Driving westbound on the Schuykill Expressway I-76, from south or southwest Philadelphia (including New Jersey traffic using the Walt Whitman Bridge):  use Exit 344, which is the I-676 Exit; this is the Exit after the Exit for Chestnut and Market Streets.  After entering I-676, you will travel eastbound from approx. 1 mile, and you should stay in the far-right lane because you will then exit at the Broad Street / 15th Street Exit.  Stay in the far right lane of that exit ramp, and at the top of the exit ramp, at the traffic light, make a right turn into 15th Street (southbound), and then proceed to the next corner, whereupon you will make a right turn into Spring Street.  Take Spring Street westbound one block until it ends at the next corner (at 16th Street), whereupon you will make an obligatory right turn and proceed northbound on 16th Street, past Vine Street, and then past the intersection with Callowhill Street, whereupon you will see our truck, with its large “Rosa Photo” signs, parked on the left, or west, side of the street.  There is abundant on-street kiosk-paid parking on Callowhill, 16th and Spring Garden Streets.   Driving from New Jersey via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge:  use the right or middle lane while on the Bridge, and then move over little-by-little to the right on the bridge's very lengthy off-ramp; proceed straight to the very first traffic light, and make a right turn into the left traffic lane of Franklin Street.  Proceed north one short block to the next corner, which is Callowhill Street, where you will make a right turn and proceed westbound on Callowhill Street for five minutes to the corner of 16th Street, and then (finally!) turn right into 16th  Street, whereupon you will see our truck, with its large “Rosa Photo” signs, parked on the left, or west, side of the street.  There is abundant on-street kiosk-paid parking on Callowhill, 16th and Spring Garden Streets.

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4.  Our hours:

Except for special help with US immigration matters (see below), you will never need an appointment--just walk in!  Fingerprinting usually takes 10-20 minutes.  Photography takes 5-15 minutes.  But if you do want an appointment for any purpose, just call ahead to phone number 215.219.9238--we will accommodate you in any way that we can (and btw, we try to answer our phones from 730 am to 9 pm, all seven days of the week).  Please do call us if you need special help because of any Disability/Handicap or Special Need.

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5.  Our fingerprint cards or yours ???  FD-258 or FD-1164 or SF-87 FBI cards ???

If you have been given a fingerprint card by your company, or by a government agency, then you should use it (and we will), but if it arrives damaged, do not despair--we have plenty of blank FBI fingerprint cards (forms FD-258, FD-1164 and SF-87) to serve as replacements, and we provide these FBI cards for free.  By the same token, if you need your fingerprinting to be "done yesterday," and the fingerprint card(s) for which you are waiting still have not arrived, then often-times we can use our blank/generic FBI cards instead.  And there is no extra charge when we use our cards instead of yours!   

In addition, if you have been given the option of downloading a pdf image of an FD-258 fingerprint card, and then printing it out on regular white "typing paper," then please think, instead, about using the free FBI fingerprint cards that we provide, because fingerprint ink adheres best on real FBI cards, and we want your finished fingerprints to look perfect.

The FBI is now replacing FD-258 cards with a new card, called FD-1164.  We have confirmed directly with the FBI that during the extended transition period (and you can confirm this for yourself by calling Customer Service at the FBI at 304-625-5590), that the FBI will accept both cards for all purposes, notwithstanding what you might read in the paperwork or on the websites of various Federal and state agencies and private companies.  We prefer to use FD-258 cards, simply because you will get a better result (and we will explain why when you meet).

If you are a civilian or a military person whose instructions explicitly allow you to use either an FD-258 or a SF-87 fingerprint card, you will be better off using the FD-258 (and again, we will explain why when we meet you).

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6.  Entering personal data on a fingerprint card

Please allow us to help you enter your data on your fingerprint card--we really know how to do it, and we have a complete list of the official abbreviations that the FBI accepts for such items as hair color, eye color and race.  But if you want to do it yourself, at least please PRINT (in other words, use Block Letters, and not cursive) and Please Use Black Ink (in other words, Do Not Use blue, green or red ink).  Here is an image of one of the three fingerprint cards that we use, namely an FD-258:

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7.  *VIP* Fingerprinting at Your Location!

If it serves your needs, we will come to your business, or even to your home, to fingerprint you or your staff.  This is especially useful if you are too busy to travel, or if you are home-bound or Disabled/Handicapped or if you have any Special Need, or if your staff is so large that it is not economical to send so many people to us, when we can instead come to you.

Although when you come to our location we charge $25 per person for one fingerprint card (and then $20/card after the first card), on the other hand if we are fingerprinting you at your location, there will be a minimum charge that takes into account the time consumed for two of us to travel to you.  In fact, our minimum fee (for travel to locations within Center City) is $300, whereas we charge $320-$400 for travel to certain "remote" parts of Philadelphia, and even more for distant suburbs.  In fact, we have fingerprinted companies as well as private individuals in such places as Paoli, Lancaster, Scranton, Harrisburg and York PA, in Newark NJ, in various towns in northern Maryland, and all over the state of Delaware.

Good News:  our minimum charge always includes the cost of preparing a certain number of fingerprint cards.  For instance, if your business or your home is in Center City (where our minimum charge is $300), we include the preparation of up to 12 cards.  As such, if you need 12 fingerprint cards for 1 person, or 3 cards each for 4 people, etc., then you would be paying us $300 if your staff travelled to us, but not a dollar extra if we were to come to you.  And for orders of 12+ cards, the "minimum travel fee" would not come into play at all:  for instance, if you are in Center City and you need 18 cards to be prepared, then we simply would charge you a total of $450 (18 x $25).  For any business, large or small, this pricing can be quite effective, taking into consideration the time, and the money, that you will save by virtue of the fact that your staff will not have to travel anywhere, nor lose time away from your office! 

Here's another example:  if your business is located in the far-western suburb of Paoli, and if you need, let's say, 30 fingerprint cards to be prepared, then you would simply pay us $750 for the entire project, with no travel charge, taking into account that our minimum fee for travel/time would be $500 (based on your location), and indeed that fee itself would have included preparation of up to the first 20 fingerprint cards. 

We accept all forms of payment except credit cards and personal checks.  In other words, we accept cash, money orders, business checks (payable, by the way, to "Barbara Jackson"), as well as Zelle, Venmo and CashApp.  ALL QUOTED PRICES INCLUDE TAXES.

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8.    Special help for people with *bad* fingertips

It is a sad reality that perhaps 15-20% of all applicants have their fingerprints rejected the first time around.  This can occur because the applicant has problematic fingers (skin on fingertips too dry, or has extensive scarring, or has non-distinct ridges and valleys), or because of lack of skill of the fingerprinter, or because digital ("live-scan") fingerprinting simply does not produce clear results for certain individuals.  Physicians, nurses, cement masons, carpenters, and artists are among the various professions that frequently suffer this predicament, as well as individuals with certain metabolic disorders. Whatever the problem, and whatever its source, it is fair to say that in Philadelphia we have had success where no one else has, and indeed we have been asked many times to help various government agencies when their in-house fingerprinting just hasn't helped an applicant.  We attribute our extra-good results to the skill of our staff (given our 35+ years of experience), to our "old fashioned" technology that relies on actual FBI fingerprint cards and special fingerprint ink, and to our knowledge of the special "FBI Name Check Rule" procedure when nothing else will work.  Simply put, we believe that no one should be denied employment opportunities, professional licensing, immigration benefits, or simply the chance to view their own FBI "rap sheet" simply because they have "handicapped" fingertips.  So, please feel free to give us a call (at 215.219.9238), tell us about your problem, and allow us to offer you a solution individually designed to address the situation at hand. (oops! sorry for the pun....)

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9.  Other services that we offer:

Photography for US Passports (for first-time applications as well as for the State Department's new electronic renewal system), and for Passports of all other countries of the world-- including photos 2" x 2", also 35 x 45 mm, 50 x 70 mm, etc.

Photographs (of all sizes) for visa applications for people traveling to other countries, including photos for Schengen visas (35 x 45 mm)

Photography for USCIS applications and petitions (related to US immigration)

Fingerprinting/photographs for gun-carry permits/licenses for many states (including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arizona and Florida) and for the ATF

The charge, per person, for a set of one or two Passport photos or visa photos (size 2" x 2," or 35 x 45 mm [for certain foreign countries, and for Schengen visa applications], or 50 x 70 mm, or any other special size you need!) is only $15.00.  The cost of four such photos is $25.00-- and then simply add $5.00 for each additional set of two photos, if, for instance, you need a total of 6 ($30) or 8 ($35) or 10 ($40), etc.  Moreover, if you request, we will email you (at no extra charge) a .pdf or .jpg version of your photo, and if you specify, we will generate the .jpg to meet the new U.S. State Department requirements for on-line Passport renewals

Pennsylvania State Police on-line applications/filings for criminal record background clearances (and your results are back, and in your hands, within 15 minutes).  The charge is $35.

USCIS on-line e-filings (while you wait) for certain US immigration applications, in particular to renew a "green card" (USCIS form I-90, for which the government's online filing fee is $415, and then we charge $100 for our work); or to replace a lost certificate of naturalization/citizenship (USCIS form N-565, for which the government's online filing fee is $505, and then we charge $100 for our work)--Please call ahead to book a (required) appointment for these time-consuming services! 

US Immigrant Diversity Visa Lottery ("Green Card Lottery," every October) on-line registration, including the required photos--Please call ahead to book a (required) appointment for this service

If you have a very special situation, we are open to selling you a small quantity of blank FD-258 FBI fingerprint cards (just call us at 215-219-9238 for details).

For Notarizations and Apostilles, including securing an apostille on a report from the FBI, based on your fingerprint submission, we cordially recommend Judi Lawrence at Center City Notary, 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1415, Phila 19110, tel. 215.870.3103, www.centercitynotary.com

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE FOR DISABLED CLIENTS:  **If you have a Handicap or Special Need that prevents you from stepping up, into our Van, and if you let us know that you are coming to visit us, then at no extra charge we will bring our equipment out of our Van, onto the 16th Street sidewalk, for your convenience.**   Please call 215-219-9238 for details.

 

 

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10. HOW YOU CAN EASILY CONTACT US:

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goodbye, y'all, out there in cyberspace--come back and visit soon !
best regards from Barbara and friends

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We stand with the Black Community

Peace in the Middle East

Slava Ukaraini

^�2026 Barbara Jackson
updated July 12, 2026