Gifts & Toys

for all occasions

Ball Point Pen

The ball point pen has an internal chamber filled with a viscous ink that is dispensed at the tip during use by the rolling action of a small metal sphere (0.7 mm to 1 mm in diameter). The ink dries almost immediately after contact with paper. Inexpensive, reliable and maintenance-free, they have almost completely replaced the fountain pen

All off us are long removed from the days when those who could write at all did so by candlelight using parchment paper and a quill dipped in ink, and when both knowledge of letters and possession of writing utensils were luxuries of the more privileged. Today, one of the most common household and workplace items is the ball point pen.

Presently about every household junk drawer is littered with pens. In the office, fluorescent lights have long replaced candlelight, and at least one ball point pen can be found awaiting use in every cubicle or on every desk.

Even though communication is now accomplished by keyboard at least as frequently as through pen and paper, and most likely more so, we all still have that favorite ball point pen we keep handy, the one that just feels right in our hand and flows smoothly across the page.

Even so, most offices and workspaces have a dozen version of the cheaper, plastic ball point pen lying about.

The reason, is in part because it costs very little to make in mass quantities and can be sold quite cheaply.

In fact, both large and small companies and businesses have long been using the ball point pen as a form of cheap advertising by having company logos printed on them and distributing them at events, fairs, conferences and other venues where giveaway items are common. Just check your drawer and see how many you have floating around, you may be surprised by the number.

The majority off common type is the cheaper, plastic, disposable variety. These are generally produced and sold in large quantities and are simply thrown away once the ink is used or dried. Refillable varieties of the ball point pen are also available, and are generally more expensive and made to be more durable.

While writing with one, the ink dries much faster than when using a fountain pen. This is perhaps the other reason the ball point pen became popular and commonplace quickly and has remained the most used type of pen over time. In our fast paced society, we don’t want to worry about ink blots while we’re jotting down a grocery list or scribbling out a phone message.

It is such a familiar household and workplace item that chances are we don’t even think about its presence when we grab it from our desk. We all see the names BIC and Papermate so much throughout the day that they have become second nature. Even in our computer-centric world, where sending an email or an instant message is often the fastest way of reaching someone, the ball point pen remains a key part of our everyday lives.

Ballpoint pens are ubiquitous in modern culture. While other forms of pen are available, ballpoint pens are certainly the most common and almost every household is likely to have several dozen. The fact that they are so cheaply available (costing from just a few cents/pence to produce) and so convenient to use means they are often to be found on desks and also in pockets, handbags, purses, bags and in cars—almost anywhere where one could conceivably need to use a pen.

A ballpoint pen is often provided free by businesses as a form of advertising—printed with a company's name, a ballpoint pen is a relatively low cost advertisement that is highly effective (customers will use, and therefore see, a pen on a daily basis). Businesses and charities may also include ballpoint pens in direct mail mailings in order to increase a customer's interest in the mailing.