16 December, 2022
Promotional Pens: How They Were Invented and Why They're Effective
As an effective marketing tool, promotional pens have their place in many businesses and organisations. No matter how busy you may be, you likely can’t leave the office without a pen in your pocket or purse, so when you see one with your logo, it will capture your attention. Promotional pens are so popular because they’re small, inexpensive, and useful; if people need to write something down, there’s a good chance they’ll use the pen in their pocket or handbag instead of reaching into their bag to find another one.
The History of the Pen
A pen is a writing tool that has been used since approximately 1800. It started off as simply a stick with an inkwell on one end. Over time, it became more sophisticated and became easier to carry around because people started using it on papyrus or paper instead of clay tablets. The papyrus eventually led to parchment, which developed into a paper about 100 A.D., creating a medium that forever changed literature.
In fact, even though everything has moved onto computers, now 6 billion pens are manufactured each year to meet consumer demand worldwide. But how did promotional pens come about? Around 1837, Lewis Waterman invented the modern-day ballpoint pen by inventing a device called the Waterman Pen.
He later went on to patent his invention for his safety cap in 1848. However, ballpoint pens didn't become popular until after World War II when major events like John F. Kennedy's assassination were broadcast live on television for hours. You see, there were many issues with this kind of reporting due to lack of battery power, so having something like promotional pens available would have helped out back then.
The Invention of the Rollerball Pen
Before pens could be mass-produced, everyone had to be handmade. Each pen stroke required many different people — including blacksmiths, woodworkers, glassblowers, and other artisans — to complete. The invention of the machine that could make parts of pens more quickly changed how they were made. The first rollerball pen was invented in the 1950s by Marcel Bich (born 1926) from France. It still used liquid ink, but it rolled very smoothly over paper because it was on ball bearings rather than being sharpened steel or having grooves or frills to allow for ink flow like fountain pens do. The invention meant that pens no longer had to be handmade, and assembly lines could produce them quickly en masse.
BIC Cristal - The Pen That Took Over the World
That’s right, you’ve likely used a Bic Cristal pen before. That’s because it’s one of many pens that are made by Bic. The BIC Cristal was one of their first pens ever sold; it revolutionised pen design and eventually allowed all future Bic products to be created. And why do we use them so much? Their simple design makes them very easy to use - allowing us to focus on our work instead of struggling with a pen. Because they have so few moving parts, Bic can produce these pens very inexpensively - which keeps prices low for customers who purchase them.
References
https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/promo-university/history-of-pens.htm
https://quatr.us/china/invented-paper-ancient-china.htm
http://www.historyofpencils.com/writing-instruments-inventors/lewis-waterman/
https://dbpedia.org/page/Marcel_Bich
https://www.speedymarquee.com/careers/history-bic-story-man-revolutionised-writing-marcel-bich/
The Pens Only Team