Which prints are specifically associated with characteristics unique to a single individual?

The correct answer emphasizes that individual characteristics are the unique traits that can pinpoint a specific individual. In forensic science, particularly in the analysis of fingerprints, individual characteristics refer to features that are distinct to one person. These include the specific ridge patterns, minutiae points, and other unique aspects of a fingerprint that do not repeat across any other individual.

The presence of individual characteristics is what allows forensic experts to match prints from a crime scene directly to a suspect. This is in stark contrast to class characteristics, which refer to features that can be shared by many individuals or groups based on general traits but are not unique, such as the general shape or pattern of a fingerprint class. Composite prints and generic prints are terms that do not reflect the unique identifiers that individual characteristics provide and would not necessarily lead to identifying a specific person.