Whiteboard Pen

here are four types of materials commonly used for whiteboard surfaces:

Melamine

A resin-infused paper which is typically used over a substrate that can range from particle board to MDF (medium density fiberboard). Melamine boards range in quality primarily due to the amount of resin deposited on the base material. Some melamine boards will remain clean (no ghosting) for a long time and others will fail prematurely. Generally these least expensive type of whiteboard are most commonly found in use in non-institutional applications. They are available in any office supply stores. It is not possible to quantify how well this type of board will perform due to the wide range of quality. The major brands are generally a good bargain, but institutional (schools, hospitals) and heavily used commercial applications are not a good application for melamine boards

Painted steel or aluminum

Painted steel and aluminum dry erase also have a wide range of quality. Painted surfaces tend to be smoother, which leads to better methods of erasing. The painted surface is generally a multiple layer of coatings made up of a base coat in color (most commonly white) and a clear performance coating that is the dry erase component. Paint varies from electron beam cured coatings to UV and other coating systems. Good commercial grade painted steel or aluminum has excellent dry erase properties and many will be able to have permanent marker cleaned from the surface. Any coated surface is susceptible to scratching. Painted steel surfaces are magnetic and allow the use of magnets. Painted aluminum surfaces are rarely used as a base for whiteboards as they are not magnetic and are more expensive than steel. Painted steel whiteboards are most commonly used for custom printed whiteboards. These products are used as tracking boards, patient information boards and tournament and training boards.

Hardcoat laminate

Every laminate manufacturer makes a dry erase board or laminate^{[citation needed]}. Here again the performance varies over a wide range depending on the amount of resin used in the manufacturer. Basically this category primarily uses melamine as its dry erase performance coat and therefore falls into the melamine universe. Depending on the manufacturer (and the price) these laminate often are less porous and highly resistant to staining. Less common than other whiteboard surfaces, because they usually are used in combination with something else (a cabinet, doors or table tops for example). (This statement applies to Porcelain steel which is the only lifetime warranty available on the market)

Porcelain, enamel-on-steel

Ceramic (glass) fired onto a steel surface in a kiln. They are the most durable surfaces and most carry a lifetime warranty. They are very common in high traffic industrial settings. Highly scratch-resistant, although materials harder than glass (like diamond) can scratch them. They do not absorb dry erase or permanent marker ink. They allow the use of magnets. Since it is glass, the porcelain surface can be cleaned with any non-abrasive cleaner, which must then be rinsed off with water to prevent smearing. Permanent marker can be removed by writing over it with a dry-erase marker and erasing it. Some porcelain surfaces provide LEED credit in new construction.

PET, Polyethylene terephthalate-on-steel

It is sold with the trade mark of PowerPet. PET coated onto a steel surface. They allow easy and smooth writing and erasing without ghost and stain. They allow the use of magnets. They can be cleaned with water.

Types of Whiteboards

The first whiteboards were very expensive and were made of an enameled steel. Cheaper alternatives have since made their way into the market, including laminated chipboard, high pressure laminates and steel boards with a white, usually polyester or acrylic, coating. Enameled whiteboards, also referred to as porcelain, or sometimes even glass boards, remain the highest quality boards available though, since the alternatives all have a tendency to leave residue of erased markings on and in the surface and are difficult to keep clean after a short while. Hard baked vitreous enamel is so non-porous that marker ink does not penetrate the surface and these boards remain erasable indefinitely if not scratched. Due to the price difference the cheaper alternatives now have the largest market share in the office products market, but in more demanding environments, such as schools, universities, etc. porcelain boards remain the gold standard.

Other types of dry marker boards are also available, such as high gloss vinyl and coated paper, which can be rolled up, high density two-part high gloss paints, glass and coated acrylics, particularly popularized by TV series and movies.

Clear marker surfaces, made of glass or specially coated acrylic, also appeared on the market about 2007 and were popularized by TV and movies

History Whiteboards

There are currently two different accounts of the history of the whiteboard, one from the US and one from the UK and both dating to the late 50's early 60's.

The first version has the white board invented by Martin Heit, a photographer and Korean war veteran. The idea was originally developed for having next to a wall phone to take messages down on. During his work with film, he realized that notes could be recorded on film negatives using a marker pen and could be easily wiped off with a damp tissue. Early whiteboards were made out of film laminate, the same glossy finish found on film negatives.

A prototype was made and ready to be revealed, when the showcase at the Chicago Merchandise Mart burned down the night previous to its unveiling. Mr. Heit chose to sell the patents to the company that would eventually become Dri-Mark, who began to introduce them into the education world.

The second account is that Albert Stallion invented the whiteboards while working at American steel producer Alliance in the 1960s. This can be verified by meeting minutes of Alliance, although these are not in the public domain, and by confirmation by Mr Bill Smit of Smit Visual Supplies BV, who was present at the meeting in question. This account of the history of the whiteboard is as follows:

One of the products Alliance produced was enameled steel, which was highly scratch resistant and easy to clean. It was used for architectural cladding purposes. One day Mr Stallion commented in a board meeting that this product would be a good addition in the market of writing boards, to replace the traditional chalk board in use until that time. His comments were not taken very seriously and being the entrepreneur he was he left the company and started his own company, Magiboards, selling enamel steel whiteboards.

This version of events is supported on the website of Magiboards Ltd.

In the mid-1960s, the first whiteboards began to appear on the market. It took a while before these boards started to really be accepted, not least because the initial boards were wet wipe, as there were no dry markers at that time. In the 70's, however, marker manufacturers soon saw the potential of such markers and dry wipe whiteboards started to be accepted more readily. In classrooms, their widespread adoption did not occur until the early 1990s when concern over allergies and other potential health risks posed by chalk dust prompted the replacement of many blackboards with whiteboards.