a b Stamp, Jimmy. "The Universal Typeface Project Averages the World's Handwriting to Produce an Incredibly Average Font". Smithsonian . Retrieved 15 March 2017. a b c d Fletcher, Alan, ed. (2006). Phaidon Design Classics – Volume 2 (1. publ.ed.). London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 0-7148-4399-7. a b Waka, Brenda. "Response Strategies of Haco Industries Kenya Limited to the Challenges of Counterfeit Products in East Africa" (PDF). Haco Industries Kenya Limited . Retrieved 21 April 2017– via University of Nairobi Digital Repository.

The pen's dimensions are 5 + 7⁄ 8 by 1⁄ 2 inch (14.9cm ×1.3cm) with the cap, [10] or 14.5cm ×0.7cm ( 5 + 11⁄ 16in × 1⁄ 4in) without the cap.Vinjamuri, David. "Bic For Her: What They Were Actually Thinking (As Told By A Man Who Worked On Tampons)". Forbes . Retrieved 17 April 2017. Despite the age of the Cristal there aren’t many variants on the pen. The most popular is the Bic Cristal Grip, though it’s not a pen you’d run into very often, at least today in the US. There is also the Bic Cristal Vermeil, a gold-plated, metal version of the Bic released for commemorative purposes. In early 2021 Bic introduced the Cristal ReNew (sometimes spelled “Re’New”) which is a Cristal pen with a metal body and a refillable design. The pen includes two refills, which are not normally sold alongside the Cristal as it’s been considered to be a disposable pen.

The Cristal ReNew included two refills that appear to be standard Cristal refills, which are identical to the B3 refill standard. They don’t seem to be sold separately yet but presumably they will be sold independently of the pen.

a b "Everyday Icon #3 The BIC Biro". Phaidon. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013 . Retrieved 16 May 2017.

In 1944, near the end of the Second World War, entrepreneur Marcel Bich bought a factory in Clichy, a suburb north of Paris, [2] and with business partner Edouard Buffard founded Société PPA (later Société Bic) in 1945. "PPA" stood for Porte-plume, Porte-mines et Accessoires; pens, mechanical pencils and accessories. During the war Bich had seen a ballpoint pen manufactured in Argentina by László Bíró. Between 1949 and 1950 the Bic Cristal was designed by the Décolletage Plastique design team at Société PPA. [3] [4] Bich invested in Swiss technology capable of shaping metal down to 0.01 millimetres (0.00039in), which could produce a stainless steel one-millimetre (0.039in) sphere which allowed ink to flow freely. [5] Bich developed a viscosity of ink which neither leaked nor clogged and, under a ballpoint pen patent licensed from Bíró, launched the Cristal in December 1950. [3] Liszewski, Andrew (28 January 2014). "The Classic Bic Pen Now Works On Your Smartphone Display Too". Gizmodo . Retrieved 17 March 2017. a b c Lemon, Michael (28 April 2015). "Bic Cristal Pens | The World's Most Popular Pen". OSU.EDU. Ohio State University . Retrieved 26 March 2017. Today the Bic Cristal is sold in fine (Cristal Xtra Precision, 0.8 mm), medium (Cristal Xtra Smooth, 1.2 mm), and bold (Cristal Xtra Bold, 1.6 mm) sizes. A Book for Her by Bridget Christie review – a hybrid of writing and performance". the Guardian. 20 July 2015 . Retrieved 4 June 2021.

Cheap but well made

Hauser, Christine; Anderson, Christina (21 April 2017). "At This Museum, Failures Are Welcome". The New York Times.