How did anyone survive before the dry erase white board was invented? This simple creation has become so standard in today’s world that it’s hard to imagine ever going back to a chalkboard. Whether you’re taking notes during a meeting, brainstorming creative ideas, or making a shopping list, a dry erase board makes life easy.
What are white boards used for that makes them indispensable?
People who use white boards need a surface that allows writing, drawing, and erasing without fuss. It sounds simple, but this ability is fundamental to creativity and problem-solving.
In some industries, like the tech sector, computer programmers are often asked to do a white board interview where they have to use a dry erase board to write out various functions and explain their thinking to the interviewer. This ensures they know what they’re doing and can think like a programmer.
What makes dry erase white boards so special?
We know that dry erase boards are the go-to choice for businesses, schools, and even presenters at conferences, but why? What makes these boards so special? The most significant reason is actually something many people take for granted: the coating.
High-quality industrial dry erase board coatings are more complex than you might think at first glance. It’s not just a simple shiny surface that someone discovered has cool properties. What goes into creating these coatings is quite involved and not all coatings are equal.
For example, traditionally, manufacturers have had to choose between heavy glass, expensive porcelain, or laminate film. The more costly options tend to perform better, but at the cost of convenience. Lower quality coatings create ghosting, which is where you can’t erase the writing completely. This is frustrating to deal with, especially when you need to give a presentation where you do a lot of erasing.
Low-quality white boards require far more cleaning than high-quality boards, which also tend to last longer overall. Perhaps one of the biggest frustrations is having to put white boards inside of a frame, which may or may not hold together, depending on how much money you spent. However, even higher-priced dry erase boards aren’t known for their amazing frames.
Although it’s not so hard to just tape or glue a frame together, the fact that dry erase boards were limited to panels prevented the market from growing where it was much needed.
Today’s dry erase coating technology is flexible
Imagine if you could turn the top of your desk into a white board, or your bedroom door. What if you could create a 3D white board cube that people could pass around the office that might double as a paper weight? Think about what you could do with an office cubicle made entirely out of white board material.
That’s exactly what cutting-edge white board coil-applied coatings are capable of achieving. This special process makes it possible to apply a dry erase coating to an existing product, post-formed. Combined with a top-of-the-line coating that minimizes ghosting, that creates worlds of possibility.
This new coating technology can be used to create finishes that can be stamped, sheared, cut, or formed into any size or shape. This means you can turn virtually anything into a dry erase surface, even if it’s curved.
Why a white board’s surface matters
No matter how you use a dry erase board, the surface matters. For many, their white board is a lifeline and they can’t function without one. A white board with a poor surface will only make life hard for those who rely on this technology for work.
If you’re going to project videos or images onto a white board, you need a low-gloss screen, but high-gloss can be excellent for presentations. And if you want to print a business logo, design, photo, or even a simple phrase permanently into the board, you need a cutting-edge coating that will allow for both permanent and erasable ink. You won’t be able to do this with a generic white board you get from the dollar store.
Another important consideration is your environment. If you’re using dry erase boards in a high humidity space, you’ll likely experience severe ghosting. This is why you need a coating that resists moisture.
Out of all the processes, coil coating is the only way to get a high-quality dry erase surface with a quality that rivals porcelain, but at a fraction of the cost.
White boards have come a long way
As an evolution of the chalkboard, white boards are now understandably a necessity for many who will never go back to chalk. The ability to instantly erase something you’ve just written makes dry erase technology truly revolutionary. Now that it’s possible to turn any surface into a dry-erase board, creativity will be limitless.
