According to Pen Vibe, the average ballpoint pen will last between half a mile to a mile when used in a continuous straight line, and it will write an average of 45,000 words before running out of ink. Researchers at the University of Reading used machines to approximate the “writing strokes, speed and downward pressure of an average person and wrote until the pens were exhausted.” Some brands will even write up to five miles. In contrast, No. 2 pencils will travel seven times farther, topping 35 miles.

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