page_title: Ballpoint pen
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Ballpoint pen / History
caption_attribution_description: 500px provided description: Bic [#pen ,#bic]
context_page_description: A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro or ball pen, is a pen that dispenses ink over a metal ball at its point, i.e. over a "ball point". The metal commonly used is steel, brass, or tungsten carbide. The design was conceived and developed as a cleaner and more reliable alternative to dip pens and fountain pens, and it is now the world's most-used writing instrument; millions are manufactured and sold daily. It has influenced art and graphic design and spawned an artwork genre.
  Some pen manufacturers produce designer ballpoint pens for the high-end and collectors' markets.
caption: Magnified tip of a ballpoint pen
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