The ballpoint pen, invented by László Bíró in 1938, solved smudging and reliability issues of fountain pens by using a rolling metal ball and thicker, quick-drying inks. After wartime adoption and mid-century commercial competition, disposable mass-produced models became the global standard for everyday writing.
Overview
Ballpoint pens, commonly called biros in some countries, are the dominant disposable writing instrument. They carry a reservoir of relatively thick, quick-drying ink and lay that ink on the page via a tiny metal ball at the tip that rotates as you write.
Invention and early history
László Bíró, a Hungarian-born journalist, invented the modern ballpoint in the late 1930s. Frustrated by slow, smudging fountain pens, he experimented with printing inks that dried faster. Together with his brother György, he designed a pen with a tiny rolling ball that transferred ink from an inner cartridge to paper. Bíró filed a British patent in 1938 and later moved to Argentina, where the brothers produced and sold pens under the "Birome" name.
During World War II, the RAF found that ballpoints performed better than fountain pens at high altitude, helping the design gain credibility and demand.
Commercial expansion and market shake-ups
A U.S. entrepreneur, Milton Reynolds, saw a Birome in Buenos Aires, adapted the design, and marketed the first widely sold ballpoint in the United States in 1945. Early ballpoints sparked intense demand but also quality problems and price wars as manufacturers rushed to produce cheaper models.
Parker's Jotter, introduced in 1954, helped re-establish reliability in the market. The Jotter combined durable manufacturing, interchangeable point sizes, and longer writing life, and it sold in large numbers soon after release.
In the postwar decades disposable, low-cost ballpoints became ubiquitous. Brands such as BIC popularized simple, mass-produced models that prioritized consistent writing and affordability.
How a ballpoint works
A ballpoint pen uses a small sphere (usually brass, steel, or tungsten carbide) seated in a socket at the tip. The ball seals the ink reservoir while turning as the pen moves, picking up ink on its rear side and depositing it on the paper. The inks are thicker and less water-soluble than fountain-pen inks, so they dry quickly and resist smearing.
Today
Ballpoints remain the most common pen type for everyday use. Disposable models are inexpensive and widely used for promotional giveaways, office supplies, and home use. Higher-end refillable ballpoints also exist for users who prefer premium materials and longer lifespans.
Biro remains a generic name in some regions. Exact global production and daily-sales figures vary by company and year; some manufacturers report billions of disposable pens produced since the 1950s, but specific current totals should be verified.
- Verify current global production or daily-sales figures claimed by major manufacturers (e.g., BIC Cristal daily sales or total pens produced since 1950).
- Confirm specific manufacturer claims such as Parker or others about linear feet of writing per cartridge if cited elsewhere.