1. A method of imaging a 3-dimensional biometric object, said method comprising: providing a 3-dimensional biometric object, said object comprising a longitudinal axis; rotating a digital image recorder apparatus at least about 180° about said axis of said biometric object and periodically line-scanning at least a portion of an object surface of the biometric object with a scanning period of less than about 5° of the rotating of the recorder apparatus for each line-scan, said scanning without contact between said biometric object and said recorder apparatus, each said scan adjacent one to another and perpendicular to said object surface, to provide a digital image of each said line-scan; and compiling said rotationally scanned digital images into a composite 2-dimensional image of said object surface.