After putting all my perception gear back on after spiritbonding some dated gear, the rate at which Fingerprints activated was noticeably higher. My friend has experienced similar results as well.
Most levelling gatherers wouldn't use perception since gathering and output is entirely more beneficial to them. However, 50 gatherers don't need gathering and only need a little output, so they'd have a lot more perception. This could be another factor to why 50 gatherers are generally having more luck.
If you're struggling to get Fingerprints to activate, try equipping some more perception gear. The Angler's Hat and Raptorskin Survival belt will give you +32 combined. It may improve your activation rate, in which case you'll gather more catalysts.
Remember, though, if you're not 50, removing too much gathering and output will make it more difficult to obtain items and lower the amount of gathers you can perform, respectively.
