Whiteboard

The popularity of whiteboards increased rapidly in the mid-1990s and they have become a fixture in many offices, meeting rooms, school classrooms, public events and other work environments.

It has been widely reported that Korean War veteran and photographer Martin Heit and Albert Stallion, an employee at Alliance, a leading flat rolled steel sheet supplier should be credited with the invention of the whiteboard in the 1950s.

A thorough examination of the invention of whiteboards reveals the concept was introduced two decades earlier by mechanical engineer Paul F. Born who installed one in a classroom in Elgin, Ill., in 1937.

Enameled whiteboards, also referred to as porcelain and sometimes glass boards, have the advantage that markings can be erased completely; other materials tend to become stained over time.

[clarification needed] 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 and polypropylene magic whiteboards which use static electricity to cling to walls, windows, and doors.

Adhesive whiteboards come in either a sheet or a roll and feature a stick back enabling the user to create a custom size board or project with the material.