Ballpoint pen: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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{{Short description|Device dispensing ink over a metal ball at its point}}
{{Redirect|Ball pen|the 2012 Indian film|Ball Pen (film){{!}}''Ball Pen'' (film)}}
{{Redirect|Biro|the surname|Biro (surname)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox product
| titleimage = Ballpoint -pen-parts.jpg
| caption = A retractable ballpoint pen assemblage (Schneider K15)▼
| image = File:Ballpoint-pen-parts.jpg
| type = [[Pen]]
▲| caption = A retractable ballpoint pen assemblage (Schneider K15)
| inventor = [[John J. Loud]] (original)<br>[[László Bíró]] (modern)
| type =
| inception = {{start date and age|1888}} (original)<br>{{start date and age|1938}} (modern)
| inventor = {{hlist|class=nowrap |[[John J. Loud]] {{smaller|(original)}}}}
| manufacturer = [[Bic (company)|Bic]] and others
{{hlist|class=nowrap |[[László Bíró]] {{smaller|(modern)}}}}
| manufacturer =
| launch year = {{start date and age |1888}}
}}
A '''ballpoint pen''', also known as a '''biro'''<ref name="About"/> ([[British English]]), '''ball pen''' ([[Hong Kong English|Hong Kong]], [[Indonesia]], [[Pakistani English|Pakistani]], [[Indian English|Indian]] and [[Philippine English]]), or '''dot pen'''<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Karn|first=Sajan Kumar|year=2012|title=On Nepalese English Discourse Granting Citizenship to English in Nepal via Corpus Building|url=https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NELTA/article/view/6127|journal=Journal of NELTA|volume=16|issue=1–2|pages=30–41|doi=10.3126/nelta.v16i1-2.6127|issn=2091-0487|doi-access=free|access-date=2 August 2021|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802191255/https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NELTA/article/view/6127|url-status=live}}</ref> ([[Nepali English]] and [[South Asian English]]), is a [[pen]] that dispenses [[ink]] (usually in paste form) over a [[Ball (bearing)|metal ball]] at its point, i.e., over a "ball point". The metalmetals commonly used isare [[steel]], [[brass]], or [[tungsten carbide]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How does a ballpoint pen work? |url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/question683.htm |work=Engineering |publisher=HowStuffWorks |year=1998–2007 |access-date=16 November 2007 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225032127/https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/question683.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The design was conceived and developed as a cleaner and more reliable alternative to [[dip pen]]s and [[fountain pen]]s, and it is now the world's most-used [[Writing implement|writing instrument]];<ref name="bpp encyc"/> millions are manufactured and sold daily.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> It has influenced art and [[graphic design]] and spawned [[ballpoint pen artwork|an artwork genre]].▼
▲A '''ballpoint pen''', also known as a '''biro'''<ref name="About"/> ([[British English]]), '''ball pen''' ([[Hong Kong English|Hong Kong]], [[Pakistani|Pakistani]], [[Indian English|Indian]] and [[Philippine English]]), or '''dot pen'''<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Karn|first=Sajan Kumar|year=2012|title=On Nepalese English Discourse Granting Citizenship to English in Nepal via Corpus Building|url=https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NELTA/article/view/6127|journal=Journal of NELTA|volume=16|issue=1–2|pages=30–41|doi=10.3126/nelta.v16i1-2.6127|issn=2091-0487|doi-access=free|access-date=2 August 2021|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802191255/https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NELTA/article/view/6127|url-status=live}}</ref> ([[Nepali English]]), is a [[pen]] that dispenses [[ink]] (usually in paste form) over a [[Ball (bearing)|metal ball]] at its point, i.e., over a "ball point". The metal commonly used is [[steel]], [[brass]], or [[tungsten carbide]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How does a ballpoint pen work? |url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/question683.htm |work=Engineering |publisher=HowStuffWorks |year=1998–2007 |access-date=16 November 2007 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225032127/https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/question683.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The design was conceived and developed as a cleaner and more reliable alternative to [[dip pen]]s and [[fountain pen]]s, and it is now the world's most-used [[Writing implement|writing instrument]];<ref name="bpp encyc"/> millions are manufactured and sold daily.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> It has influenced art and [[graphic design]] and spawned [[ballpoint pen artwork|an artwork genre]].
Some pen manufacturers like [[Uni ball]] produce designer ballpoint pens for the [[Luxury goods|high-end]] and collectors' markets.
==History==
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The concept of using a "ball point" within a writing instrument to apply ink to paper has existed since the late 19th century. In these inventions, the ink was placed in a thin tube whose end was blocked by a tiny ball, held so that it could not slip into the tube or fall out of the pen.
The first [[patent]] for a ballpoint pen<ref>Collingridge, M. R. ''et al.'' (2007) "Ink Reservoir Writing Instruments 1905–20" ''Transactions of the Newcomen Society'' 77(1): pp. 69–100, p. 69</ref><ref>[Japes P. Mannings, "Reservoir, Fountain, and Stylographic Pens"], ''Journal of the Society of Arts'', 27 October 1905, [https://books.google.com/books?id=_7pJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1150 p. 1150]</ref> was issued on 30 October 1888 to [[John J. Loud]],<ref>Great Britain Patent No. 15630, 30 October 2008</ref> who was attempting to make a writing instrument that would be able to write "on rough surfaces—such as wood, coarse wrapping-paper, and other articles"<ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://wwwpatents.google.com/patentspatent/US392046 |title=Patent US392046 – op weym – Google Patents |access-date=8 March 2014 |archive-date=18 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518191334/http://www.google.com/patents/US392046 |url-status=live }}</ref> which [[fountain pen]]s could not. Loud's pen had a small rotating steel ball held in place by a socket. Although it could be used to mark rough surfaces such as leather, as Loud intended, it proved too coarse for letter-writing. With no commercial viability, its potential went unexploited,<ref name="About"/> and the patent eventually lapsed.<ref name="1940s"/>
The manufacture of economical, reliable ballpoint pens as are known today arose from experimentation, modern chemistry, and the precision manufacturing capabilities of the early 20th century.<ref name="bpp encyc"/> Patents filed worldwide during early development are testaments to failed attempts at making the pens commercially viable and widely available.<ref name="web"/> Early ballpoints did not deliver the ink evenly; overflow and clogging were among the obstacles faced by early inventors{{Who?|date=February 2023}}<!-- Who? -->.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> If the ball socket were too tight or the ink too thick, it would not reach the paper. If the socket were too loose or the ink too thin, the pen would leak, or the ink would smear.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> Ink reservoirs pressurized by a piston, spring, [[capillary action]], and gravity would all serve as solutions to ink-delivery and flow problems.<ref>Collingridge, M. R. et al. (2007). "Ink Reservoir Writing Instruments 1905–2005". ''Transactions of the Newcomen Society'' 77(1): pp. 69–100, p. 80</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Webshark Ltd. – www.webshark.hu |url=http://www.herend.com/herald/012/eng/eletmod.htm |title=A porcelán-arany csoda |publisher=Herend |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012134119/http://herend.com/herald/012/eng/eletmod.htm |archive-date=12 October 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
[[László Bíró]], a [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] [[newspaper]] editor (later a naturalized Argentine) frustrated by the amount of time that he wasted filling up fountain pens and cleaning up smudged pages, noticed that inks used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper dry and smudge-free. He decided to create a pen using the same type of ink.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> Bíró enlisted the help of his brother György, a dentist with useful knowledge of chemistry,<ref>Collingridge, M. R. et al. (2007) "Ink Reservoir Writing Instruments 1905–2005". ''Transactions of the Newcomen Society'' 77(1): pp. 69–100, p. 81</ref> to develop viscous ink formulae for new ballpoint designs.<ref name="bpp encyc"/>
Bíró's innovation successfully coupled viscous ink-viscosity with a ball-and-socket mechanism whichthat actedallowed compatiblycontrolled toflow preventwhile preventing ink from drying inside the reservoir while allowing controlled flow.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> Bíró filed for a British patent on 15 June 1938.<ref name="About"/><ref>"The first complete specifications appear to be UK 498997, June 1938 and UK 512218, December 1938; his rather basic Hungarian patent 120037 was dated April 1938." Collingridge, M. R. et al. (2007). "Ink Reservoir Writing Instruments 1905–2005". ''Transactions of the Newcomen Society'' 77(1): pp. 69–100, p. 80</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bhl.org.uy/index.php/La_Birome |title=La Birome |access-date=10 February 2023 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210121720/https://bhl.org.uy/index.php/La_Birome |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1941, the Bíró brothers and a friend, Juan Jorge Meyne, fled Germany and moved to Argentina, where they formed "Bíró Pens of Argentina" and filed a new patent in 1943.<ref name="About"/> Their pen was sold in Argentina as the "Birome", from the names Bíró and Meyne, which is how ballpoint pens are still known in that country.<ref name="About"/> This new design was licensed by the British engineer [[Frederick George Miles]] and manufactured by his company [[Miles Aircraft]], to be used by [[Royal Air Force]] aircrew as the "Biro".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maksel |first=Rebecca |title=If You Like Ballpoint Pens, Thank the R.A.F. |url=https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/ballpoint-pens-RAF-180955537/ |access-date=2020-12-30 |website=Air & Space Magazine |language=en |archive-date=28 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228135430/https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/ballpoint-pens-RAF-180955537/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Ballpoint pens were found to be more versatile than fountain pens, especially atin high altitudesairplanes, where fountain pens were prone to leak.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/>
Bíró's patent, and other early patents on ballpoint pens, often used the term "ball-point fountain pen".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vYr8AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA570 |title=Patent Log: Innovative Patents that Advanced the United States Navy |first1=Douglas E. |last1=Campbell |first2=Stephen J. |last2=Chant |year=2017 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=9781105625626 |access-date=30 March 2017 |via=[[Google Books]] }}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}<ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://wwwpatents.google.com/patentspatent/US2474300 |title=Ball point fountain pen |publisher=[[United States Patent Office]] |access-date=30 March 2017 |via=[[Google Patents]] |archive-date=31 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331121151/http://www.google.com/patents/US2474300 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://wwwpatents.google.com/patentspatent/US2966417 |title=Red ball point fountain pen inks and colorants therefor |publisher=[[United States Patent Office]] |access-date=30 March 2017 |via=[[Google Patents]] |archive-date=6 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506122136/http://www.google.com/patents/US2966417 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.google.com.ar/patents/US2592406 |title=Fountain pen of the ball point type |publisher=[[United States Patent Office]] |access-date=30 March 2017 |via=[[Google Patents]] |archive-date=31 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331122307/http://www.google.com.ar/patents/US2592406 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://wwwpatents.google.com/patentspatent/US2486869 |title=Ball-point fountain pen |publisher=[[United States Patent Office]] |access-date=30 March 2017 |via=[[Google Patents]] |archive-date=12 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512005833/http://www.google.com/patents/US2486869 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://wwwpatents.google.com/patentspatent/US2390636 |title=Writing instrument |publisher=[[United States Patent Office]] |access-date=30 March 2017 |via=[[Google Patents]] |archive-date=30 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430035748/http://www.google.com/patents/US2390636 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Postwar proliferation===
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In 1946, a Spanish firm, Vila Sivill Hermanos, began to make a ballpoint, Regia Continua, and from 1953 to 1957 their factory also made Bic ballpoints, on contract with the French firm [[Société Bic]].<ref>{{cite news|work=El Punt Avui|date=10 July 2016|url=http://admin.elpunt.cat/economia/article/18-economia/985015-el-meu-avi-va-fer-la-primera-estilografica-d-espanya-i-el-primer-boligraf-d-europa.html|last=Francesc|first=Muñoz|title=El meu avi va fer la primera estilogràfica d'Espanya i el primer bolígraf d'Europa|access-date=28 November 2019|archive-date=28 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328234031/http://admin.elpunt.cat/economia/article/18-economia/985015-el-meu-avi-va-fer-la-primera-estilografica-d-espanya-i-el-primer-boligraf-d-europa.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
During the same period, American entrepreneur [[Milton Reynolds]] came across a Birome ballpoint pen during a business trip to [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina.<ref name="About"/><ref name="1940s"/> Recognizing commercial potential, he purchased several ballpoint samples, returned to the United States, and founded the [[Milton Reynolds#The Reynolds International Pen Company|Reynolds International Pen Company]]. Reynolds bypassed the Birome patent with sufficient design alterations to obtain an American patent, beating Eversharp and other competitors to introduce the pen to the US market.<ref name="About"/><ref name="1940s"/> Debuting at [[Gimbels]] department store in New York City on 29 October 1945,<ref name="1940s"/> for US$12.50 each (1945 US dollar value, about ${{Inflation|US|12.50|1945}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars),<ref name="1940s"/> "Reynolds Rocket" became the first commercially successful ballpoint pen.<ref name="About"/><ref name="How ballpoints work"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Inventing the 20th century: 100 inventions that shaped the world|year=2002|publisher=NYU Press|author=Stephen Van Dulken|author2=Andrew Phillips|page=106}}</ref> Reynolds went to great extremes to market the pen, with great success; Gimbel's sold many thousands of pens within one week. In Britain, the [[Frederick George Miles|Miles]]-[[Miles_Aircraft#Bankruptcy_and_receivership|(Harry) Martin pen company]] was producing the first commercially successful ballpoint pens there by the end of 1945.<ref name="About"/><ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%201669.html "Miles."] ''Flight International,'' 28 August 1976, p. 513.</ref><ref>[http://home.comcast.net/~aero51/html/other/biro.htm "The Biro Story."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905090817/http://home.comcast.net/~aero51/html/other/biro.htm |date=5 September 2008 }} ''comcast.net.'' Retrieved: 25 April 2012.</ref>
Neither Reynolds' nor Eversharp's ballpoint lived up to consumer expectations in America. Ballpoint pen sales peaked in 1946, and consumer interest subsequently plunged due to [[market saturation]], going from [[luxury good]] to [[fungible]] [[commodity]].<ref name="1940s"/> By the early 1950s the ballpoint boom had subsided and Reynolds' company folded.<ref name="About"/>
[[Paper Mate]] pens, among the emerging ballpoint brands of the 1950s, bought the rights to distribute their own ballpoint pens in Canada.<ref name="intrigue"/> Facing concerns about ink-reliability, Paper Mate pioneered new ink formulas and advertised them as "banker-approved".<ref name="1940s"/> In 1954, [[Parker Pens]] released "[[Jotter|The Jotter]]"—the company's first ballpoint—boasting additional features and technological advances which also included the use of tungsten-carbide textured ball-bearings in their pens.<ref name="About"/> In less than a year, Parker sold several million pens at prices between three and nine dollars.<ref name="About"/> In the 1960s, the failing [[Eversharp|Eversharp Co.]] sold its pen division to Parker and ultimately folded.<ref name="About"/>
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Ballpoint pens are produced in both disposable and refillable models. Refills allow for the entire internal ink reservoir, including a ballpoint and socket, to be replaced. Such characteristics are usually associated with designer-type pens or those constructed of finer materials. The simplest types of ballpoint pens are disposable and have a cap to cover the tip when the pen is not in use, or a mechanism for retracting the tip,<ref name="bpp encyc"/> which varies between manufacturers but is usually a spring- or screw-mechanism.
[[Rollerball pen]]s employ the same ballpoint mechanics, but with the use of water-based inks instead of oil-based inks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ballpoint vs. Rollerball – What's The Difference? |url=https://unsharpen.com/ballpoint-vs-rollerball/ |website=Unsharpen.com |publisher=Unsharpen.com |access-date=29 August 2020 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923130924/https://unsharpen.com/ballpoint-vs-rollerball/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Compared to oil-based ballpoints, rollerball pens are said to provide more fluid ink-flow, but the water-based inks will blot if held stationary against the writing surface. Water-based inks also remain wet longer when freshly applied and are thus prone to "smearing"—posing problems to left-handed people (or right handed people writing [[right-to-left]] script)—and "running", should the writing surface become wet.
Some ballpoint pens use a hybrid ink formulation whose viscosity is lower than that of standard ballpoint ink, but greater than rollerball ink.<ref name=":0" /> The ink dries faster than a [[gel pen]] to prevent smearing when writing. These pens are better suited for left-handed persons. Examples are the Zebra Surari, [[Uni-ball]] Jetstream and [[Pilot (pen company)|Pilot]] Acroball ranges.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-08-20|title=Hybrid Ballpoint Showdown|url=https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2013/08/hybrid-ballpoint-showdown-and-giveaway/|access-date=2021-02-11|website=The Well-Appointed Desk|language=en-US|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301045128/http://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2013/08/hybrid-ballpoint-showdown-and-giveaway/|url-status=live}}</ref> These pens are also labelled "extra smooth", as they offer a smoother writing experience compared to normal ballpoint pens.
Ballpoint pens with erasable ink were pioneered by the [[Paper Mate]] pen company.<ref name="Erasable"/> The ink formulas of erasable ballpoints have properties similar to [[rubber cement]], allowing the ink to be literally rubbed clean from the writing surface before drying and eventually becoming permanent.<ref name="Erasable"/> Erasable ink is much thicker than standard ballpoint inks, requiring pressurized cartridges to facilitate inkflow—meaning they can also write upside-down. Though these pens are equipped with erasers, any eraser will suffice.<ref name="Erasable"/>
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== Use of ballpoint pens in space ==
It is generally believed that because of a ballpoint pen's reliance on gravity to coat the ball with ink, most cannot be used to write upside-down. However, the reason most ballpoint pens on the Earth do not work when writing upside-down is because the Earth's gravity pulls the ink inside the pen away from the tip of the pen, resulting in a bad writing experience. However, in space, the regular ballpoint pens can work upside-down because the microgravity in space is not strong enough to pull the ink away from the tip of the pen and capillary action prevails.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is the working principle of a ballpoint pen? |url=https://byjus.com/question-answer/what-is-the-working-principle-of-ballpoint-pen/ |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=byjus.com |language=en}}</ref> The reliability of the regular ballpoint pen was tested in space <ref>{{Cite web |title=Pedro Duque's diary from space |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Cervantes_Mission/Pedro_Duque_s_diary_from_space |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.esa.int |language=en}}</ref> by Pedro Duque, an ESA astronaut in 2003.
It is generally believed that gravity is needed to coat the ball with ink. In fact most ballpoint pens on the Earth do not work when writing upside-down because the Earth's gravity pulls the ink inside the pen away from the tip of the pen. However, in the microgravity environment of space a regular ballpoint pen can still work, pointed in any direction, because the capillary forces in the ink are stronger than gravitational forces.{{Cn|date=May 2024}}
Technology developed by Fisher pens in the United States resulted in the production of what came to be known as the "Fisher [[Space Pen]]". Space Pens combine a more viscous ink with a pressurized ink reservoir<ref name="How ballpoints work" /> that forces the ink toward the point. Unlike standard ballpoints, the rear end of a Space Pen's pressurized reservoir is sealed, eliminating evaporation and leakage,<ref name="How ballpoints work" /> thus allowing the pen to write upside-down, in zero-gravity environments, and reportedly underwater.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spacepen.com/about-us.aspx|title=Fisher Space Pen – About Us|access-date=5 November 2011|archive-date=28 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428143620/http://www.spacepen.com/about-us.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Astronauts have made use of these pens in outer space.<ref name="How ballpoints work" />▼
The functionality of a regular ballpoint pen in space was confirmed by ESA astronaut Pedro Duque in 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pedro Duque's diary from space |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Cervantes_Mission/Pedro_Duque_s_diary_from_space |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=www.esa.int |language=en}}</ref>
▲Technology developed by Fisher pens in the United States resulted in the production of what came to be known as the "Fisher [[Space Pen]]". Space Pens combine a more viscous ink with a pressurized ink reservoir<ref name="How ballpoints work" /> that forces the ink toward the point. Unlike a standard ballpointsballpoint's ink container, the rear end of a Space Pen's pressurized reservoir is sealed, eliminating evaporation and leakage,<ref name="How ballpoints work" /> thus allowing the pen to write upside-down, in zero-gravity environments, and reportedlyallegedly underwater.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spacepen.com/about-us.aspx|title=Fisher Space Pen – About Us|access-date=5 November 2011|archive-date=28 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428143620/http://www.spacepen.com/about-us.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Astronauts have made use of these pens in outer space.<ref name="How ballpoints work" />
==As art medium==▼
▲==As an art medium==
{{Main|Ballpoint pen artwork}}
[[File:McQueen ballpoint biro drawing art.jpg|thumb|Example of a ballpoint pen work-in-progress – rendering of actor [[Steve McQueen]] by artist James Mylne]]
[[File:Lennie Mace "Uchuu Neko Parade" 2005 Tokyo, ballpoint "Penting" 130x92cm.jpg|thumb|Ballpoint "''PENting''" by [[Lennie Mace]], Uchuu Neko Parade (2005) ballpoint pen and hardware on paper]]
BallpointThe pensballpoint havepen has proven to be a versatile [[art medium]] for both professional artists as well asand amateur [[doodle]]rs.<ref name="NYT"/> Low cost, availability, and portability are cited by practitioners as qualities which make this common writing tool a convenient, alternative art supply.<ref name="Oddity"/> Some artists use them within [[mixed-media]] works, while others use them solely as their medium-of-choice.<ref name="Tricks"/>
Effects not generally associated with ballpoint pens can be achieved.<ref name="Weekender">{{cite journal
Line 124 ⟶ 120:
}}</ref> Traditional [[pen|pen-and-ink]] techniques such as [[stipple|stippling]] and [[cross-hatching]] can be used to create half-tones<ref name="Mylne"/> or the illusion of form and volume.<ref name="Art of Sketching"/> For artists whose interests necessitate precision line-work, ballpoints are an obvious attraction; ballpoint pens allow for sharp lines not as effectively executed using a brush.<ref name="Japan Times"/> Finely applied, the resulting imagery has been mistaken for airbrushed artwork<ref name="Tokyo Journal"/> and photography,<ref name="Telegraph"/> causing reactions of disbelief which ballpoint artist [[Lennie Mace]] refers to as the "Wow Factor".<ref name="Japan Times"/><ref name="Tokyo Journal"/>
Famous 20th-century artists such asincluding [[Andy Warhol]], among others, have utilized the ballpoint pens to some extentpen during their careers.<ref name="Warhol BPP"/> Ballpoint pen artwork continues to attract interest in the 21st century, with many [[contemporary artist]]s gaining recognition for their specific use of ballpoint pens; foras their technical proficiency, imagination, anda innovationmedium. Korean-American artist [[Il Lee]] has been creating large-scale, ballpoint-only abstract artwork since the late 1970s solely with ballpoint pens.<ref name="NYT"/> Since the 1980s, [[Lennie Mace]] creates imaginative, ballpoint-only artwork of varying content and complexity, applied to unconventional surfaces including wood and denim.<ref name="Gekkan"/> The artist coined terms such as "PENtings" and "Media Graffiti" to describe his varied output.<ref name="Japan Times"/> More recently, British artist [[James Mylne (artist)|James Mylne]] has been creating photo-realistic artwork using mostly black ballpoints, sometimes with minimal mixed-media color.<ref name="Telegraph"/>
UsingThe ballpoint penspen tohas createseveral artworklimitations isas notan withoutart limitationsmedium. Color availability and sensitivity of ink to light are among concerns of ballpoint pen artists.<ref name="Care"/> MistakesAs posea greatertool risksthat touses ballpointink, artists;marks oncemade with a lineballpoint ispen drawn, itcan generally cannotnot be erased.<ref name="Japan Times"/> Additionally, "blobbing" of ink on the drawing surface and "skipping" of ink-flow require consideration when usingdrawing ballpointwith pensa forballpoint artistic purposespen.<ref name="Tricks"/> Although the mechanics of ballpoint pens remain relatively unchanged, ink composition has evolved to solve certain problems over the years, resulting in unpredictable sensitivity to light and some extent of fading.<ref name="Care"/>
==Manufacturing==
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[[File:Ink holder of a ballpen.jpg|thumb|The ink holder of a disposable ballpoint pen]]
Although designs and construction vary between brands, basic components of all ballpoint pens are universal.<ref name="bpp encyc"/> Standard components of a ballpoint tip include the freely rotating "ball" itself (distributing the ink on the writing surface), a "socket" holding the ball in place, small "ink channels" that provide ink to the ball through the socket, and a self-contained "ink reservoir" supplying ink to the ball.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> In modern disposable pens, narrow plastic tubes contain the ink, which is compelled downward to the ball by gravity.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> Brass, steel, or tungsten carbide are used to manufacture the ball bearing-like points,<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> then housed in a brass socket.<ref name="Incredible Pen"/>
The function of these components can be comparedobserved withat a larger scale in the ball-applicator of roll-on antiperspirant; the same technology at a larger scale. The ballpoint tip delivers the ink to the writing surface while acting as a "buffer" between the ink in the reservoir and the air outside, preventing the quick-drying ink from drying inside the reservoir. Modern ballpoints are said to have a two-year shelf life, on average.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/>
A ballpoint tip that can write comfortably for a long period of time is not easy to produce, as it requires high-precision machinery and thin high-grade steel alloy plates. China, which {{asof|2017|lc=y}} produces about 80 percent of the world's ballpoint pens, relied on imported ballpoint tips and metal alloys before 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/01/18/finally-china-manufactures-a-ballpoint-pen-all-by-itself/ |title=Finally, China manufactures a ballpoint pen all by itself |work=washingtonpost.com |date=18 January 2017 |access-date=21 October 2017 |archive-date=5 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105153404/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/01/18/finally-china-manufactures-a-ballpoint-pen-all-by-itself/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
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==Guinness World Records==
* The world's largest functioning ballpoint pen was made by Acharya Makunuri Srinivasa in India. The pen measures {{convert|5.4999|m|ftin|adj=ri1|sigfig=5}} long and weighs {{convert|37.23|kg|lb|sigfig=4}}.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/31621-largest-ball-point-pen|title=Largest ball point pen|newspaper=Guinness World Records|access-date=14 December 2016|archive-date=18 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218065227/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/31621-largest-ball-point-pen|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The world's most popular pen is Bic'sthe [[Bic Cristal]], with the 100 billionth of which wasmodel sold in September, 2006. ItThe Bic Cristal was launched in December 1950 and hasroughly gone57 onare to sell 57sold per second, much faster and more than other brands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/pen-best-selling|title=Pen - Best Selling|website=Guinness World Records|access-date=14 May 2018|archive-date=15 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515071420/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/pen-best-selling|url-status=live}}</ref>
== See also ==▼
▲==See also==
* [[Gel pen]]
* [[List of pen types, brands and companies]]
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* [[Rollerball pen]]
* [[Ballpoint pen knife]]
* [[Ballpoint mouse]]
==References==