Abstract: A system and method for ink database searching using handwriting feature synthesis is disclosed which allows a digital ink database to be searched using a text-based query. Using a writer-specific handwriting model derived from a handwriting recognition system or suitable training procedure, a text query is converted into feature vectors that are similar to the feature vectors that would have been extracted had the author of the digital ink database written the text query by hand. The feature vectors are then used to search the database. This allows the searching of a digital ink database when the only input mechanism available is text entry, and can allow a person other than the author of the digital ink database to search the digital ink database.