British journal Benchmark Magazine, a monthly publication about security technology, found after testing a variety of fingerprint readers, that those using multispectral imaging provide more consistent readings than those relying on optical scans only.

In its May 2012 issue, Benchmark tested a number of fingerprint readers and discovered that optical scanning readers have trouble getting a clear, usable scan if the digit being presented isn’t dry, clean or clear.

One example of an multispectral imaging sensor that had high marks in the tests came from authentication provider Lumidigm and its biometrics partner levo.

Benchmark found that the multispectral imaging sensors provided an overall more robust solution. Their MSI sensor uses technology to uncover unique fingerprint characteristics from both the surface and subsurface of the skin. This results in fingerprint scans with greater consistency and ones that are more tamper resistant than those made with other technologies.