Descending
Development of the chromatogram is done by allowing the solvent to travel down the paper. Here, mobile phase is placed in solvent holder at the top. The spot is kept at the top and solvent flows down the paper from above.
Here the solvent travels up the chromatographic paper. Both descending and ascending paper chromatography are used for the separation of organic and inorganic substances.
This is the hybrid of both of the above techniques. The upper part of ascending chromatography can be folded over a rod in order to allow the paper to become descending after crossing the rod.
This is also called circular chromatography. A circular filter paper is taken and the sample is deposited at the center of the paper. After drying the spot, the filter paper is tied horizontally on a petri dish containing solvent, so that the wick of the paper is dipped in the solvent. The solvent rises through the wick and the components are separated into concentric circles.
In this technique a square or rectangular paper is used. Here the sample is applied to one of the corners and development is performed at a right angle to the direction of the first run.
Hence spreading irregularly is not common way of chromatography.