Whiteboard / WhiteWall®

Whiteboard walls are the truest form of unfiltered expression. There’s no barrier to entry; if you have an idea, you can write it on the wall. It’s that simple. However, turning a wall into a whiteboard is a more daunting task than the internet would have you believe. If you’re going the DIY method, you’ll need to follow these steps to turn your wall into a whiteboard:

1. Strip paint
2. Repair drywall to create a smooth surface (sand)
3. Apply primer to the wall
4. Depending on which route you choose to take, you’ll need to apply either an industrial adhesive to stick a laminate sheet on the wall or apply specialty paint to actually provide the wall with dry-erase properties.

As a concept, these DIY ideas sound great, but in actuality, DIY whiteboard walls require hours of prep and are difficult to remove after installation. To take things a step further, DIY whiteboard wall applications are not durable, often leaving behind ghost marker stains with repeated use. If durability and aesthetics are qualities you're looking for in your whiteboard wall, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Commercial-grade whiteboard walls are usually designed using a series of steel-backed panels that mount directly to the wall, providing an element of durability and magnetism that you cannot find in traditional DIY whiteboard walls. Over the past few years, the whiteboard wall panel space has diversified, incorporating dozens of material options to choose from, the most common of which include painted-steel, porcelain, and glass surfaces.

Before deciding on a whiteboard wall panel, you need to keep in mind that professional installers are typically billed at an hourly rate. A whiteboard wall installation can range anywhere from 30-minutes to days depending on the number of walls and classification of whiteboard panels in play. For instance, whiteboard wall panels that designate specific left and right-end panels require installers to fully layout and map exact panel locations prior to installation. In contrast, wall panels without designations can be installed in any order, directly out of the box. Alternatively, whiteboard wall panels that use splines and mounting trim will require installers to make cuts and modifications to the material prior to the install. While these modifications and requirements may only seem like minor pain points, multiplying these requirements across dozens of walls and panels can quickly amount to hours of additional labor costs.

At Magnatag, we've developed a line of magnetic whiteboard wall panels that streamline the installation process to make it fast, simple, and secure while maintaining a durable writing surface. Our line of WhiteWall^® dry-erase wall panels utilize a patented mounting bracket system that can be installed in a matter of minutes with the help of a power drill, level, and a few additional hands. All that's required for installation is to mount the brackets onto the wall and slide panels into their designated position—it's that simple. Since WhiteWall panels are designed with precision-formed self-edges, you can create a smooth, uninterrupted writing surface without the need to specify end panels or modify mounting brackets. We also manufacture WhiteWalls using our proprietary porcelain-like Magnalux^® dry-erase surface. Magnalux is a painted enamel surface is evenly applied to steel that will not stain, crack or fade after years of daily use.

Before you start looking into turning your wall into a whiteboard, it's important to be mindful of the two primary elements that go into a successful whiteboard wall transformation: ease of installation and durability. While cost-effective, DIY whiteboard wall transformations can take hours to prep and fail to provide the long-lasting durability found in commercial whiteboard wall panels. Commercial-grade whiteboard wall panels that rely on splines and mounting trim can take hours to install, and in turn, increase labor costs. Magnatag WhiteWall magnetic dry-erase whiteboard wall panels combine the best properties of commercial whiteboard wall panels with a simple installation process that you can complete in minutes. If you're in the market to transform your wall into a creative hotspot, Magnatag is the best place to start your journey.

For over 50 years, Magnatag has worked alongside architects and contractors to build thousands of custom whiteboards for office spaces across the globe. Over the years, we’ve managed to pick up a few tips from the experts that can help you find the perfect location for your whiteboard. With some of our Magnatag expertise added to the mix, we've put together this guide to detail everything you need to know when it comes to finding the perfect destination for your whiteboard.

Understanding the Relationship Between Positioning & Display Size
Display size and positioning are the two most significant factors that one must consider before choosing a size for your whiteboard—both of which vary depending on the size of the space. Ultimately, the two elements share a unique relationship, as both positioning and size directly relate to text and images displayed on the board and how we interpret content in a presentation space. The size of a surface directly links to the size of the room, and contrariwise, the size of a room implicates how large a surface can be and its final location.

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend mounting your whiteboard no higher than seven feet above the base of the floor and no lower than three-feet. To be more specific, the top of a 4 x 6’ whiteboard should hang 84” off the floor; a 3 x 4’ board should be 78”, and a 2 x 3’ should hang no higher than 72”. You should always place your dry-erase board in a position that lines up in direct eyesight of the primary user. The bottom line is you never want to place your whiteboard in a place that’s out of reach. Of course, this is just the guideline that we practice in our facility, and that’s not to say it’s the cardinal rule for whiteboard installations. If you want to take a deeper dive into the science of whiteboard installations, including ADA rules and guidelines for accessibility, we’ve put together this collection of rules and guidelines that can help you master your next whiteboard installation.

The 4/6/8 Rule
At its core, the 4/6/8 rule functions as a set of standards that determine the optimal display image size in any given presentation space. Depending on the intent of your dry-erase board—be it passive viewing, general information gathering, or inspection-based viewing—the image height of the board should be either 1/4th, 1/6th, or 1/8th the distance to the furthest viewer.

1/8th or Passive Viewing
The 1/8th viewing distance is perfect for spaces where general visual content will be displayed-think along the lines of webcam calls, movies, and YouTube videos. Typically, this content doesn't involve detail-oriented graphics, and when paired with a combination of audio and visual cues, can be easily digested. For example, in the case that you're setting up a project where passive viewing is the primary function of the display surface, and the furthest viewer is 30' from the board, the minimum image height your display surface can support should be 3.75' tall.

1/6th or General Viewing
The 1/6th viewing distance works best in environments where information is retained but is not critical for comprehension of the presentation as a whole (PowerPoint presentations, classroom notes, word processing, etc.). This type of content is the most common use case for general conference rooms in the US where a discussion is driven by what's displayed but does not necessarily require an in-depth inspection of an image or diagram. So, for the room where the furthest viewer is 30' from the display unit, the minimum height of the display surface should be just under 5' tall.

1/4th or Detailed/Inspection/Analytical Viewing
The 1/4th viewing distance is the most intimate and compelling angle of the 4/6/8 rule. Specifically used when inspecting highly detailed graphs and documents, like a CAD drawing or medical chart, this viewing distance should only be considered for presentation spaces where analytical interpretation and discussion of the display's content is of primary focus. If we were to revisit once again the presentation space where the furthest viewer would sit 30' away from the board or screen, the ideal height for the display unit would be 7.5'.

Generally speaking, most projects that require a whiteboard should fit nicely into one of these three categories. In the case that you may not know the exact intent of the presentation space, we recommend going with the 1/6th distance, as the majority of businesses and schools typically keep detailed inspection-based discussions to a more intimate small-group environment.

Determining The Height of Your Board

The ultimate goal when hanging any visual display surface is to provide a clear sightline for everyone in a designated presentation space. Finding the perfect height to accomplish this task is easier said than done, and quite honestly, there's no industry standard to get you started—but there are a few rules and regulations that can point you in the right direction.

Use ADA Accessibility Rules as a Baseline
In 2010 the Department of Justice published revisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) detailing the minimum and height requirements for signage as it relates to the ground level. The regulations state that the minimum height for signage be 48 inches above the ground, with the maximum height hanging 60 inches above the floor. While most visual display units do not qualify as "signage" under the ADA guidelines, many experts recommend using the 48-inch minimum as a preventative baseline for an end-user. The thought behind this recommendation is that the average height of a seated individual measures 36", and with the bottom of the display unit hanging at 48", the average viewer would not have their view of the display surface obstructed by another seated individual.

The 1/3rd Rule
According to joint recommendations developed by the leading global authority in home theater systems, CEDIA, and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, an ideal view of a display surface should not have an angle of greater than 15 degrees to the top or bottom of the screen. The 1/3rd rule takes note of CEDIA's recommendations and utilizes a formulaic approach similar to what's found in the 4/6/8 law to determine the best display height for any given space. Ideally, an architect or contractor should measure 1/3rd the distance between the display unit and the furthest seat in the room and use that measurement to determine the final height of the display unit. By sticking to this formula, the height of the display scales with the audience and limits the line of sight for those located in the back of the room.

In Conclusion

Both the size and location of your visual display unit can have a tremendous impact on the surface’s end-user, and as a result, you should treat every surface you install on a case-by-case basis. It is essential to understand that available space ultimately dictates the final placement of your whiteboard.

With over 50 years experience in whiteboard manufacturing, we’ve happened to pick up a few surprising bits of information surrounding one of our most popular products. So without further ado, here are five fun whiteboard facts we’ve picked up throughout the Magnatag journey.

One element of our manufacturing process that helps make Magnatag whiteboards stand out from the rest of the competition is our ability to customize any whiteboard to your liking. Whether you're looking to include a company logo, create a one-of-a-kind chart, or map a specific area on a dry erase board, our team of visual systems specialists can get it done. With 2018 just around the corner, we're revisiting some of our favorite custom whiteboards we've manufactured this past year.

Here at Magnatag, we’d argue there’s no greater tool for visualizing workflow than a dry erase board—but don’t just take our word for it; search around your office and see for yourself! Each and every day millions of whiteboards across the globe are being used in workplaces just like yours. Over the past 50 years in business, we’ve noticed that a large percentage of whiteboard users happen to be developers. While you may find it a bit surprising that some of the most technologically adept professionals are choosing to use whiteboards for their day-to-day job duties, our team at Magnatag totally gets it—and we want to fill you in too! That’s why we’ve put together this list of five reasons why every developer should be using a dry erase board for their workflow.

1. Whiteboards Are Great For Collaboration
   Developers often divide their projects into sprints, with teams separating into smaller groups that focus on a specific element of a project’s development cycle. Each group is typically comprised of a team lead and a few front and backend developers, and as a result, elements of a specific product or feature are designed independently and pieced together towards the end of a project’s timeline. Whiteboards serve as an excellent meeting point for project teams to collaborate and visualize how a project is coming together. Maybe you want to start with a large-scale visual of how the project will come together, detailing individual steps in the development cycle and assigning steps as needed, or perhaps multiple team members are encountering a similar bug in the system, and rather than working the issue out individually, you wish to tackle the problem as a group. Regardless of which of these situations you find yourself in—if any—chances are you won't find a better tool for the job than a dry erase board.


2. You Can Always Erase With Dry Erase
   If you’ve spent any amount of time developing or programming, you know just how excruciatingly painful debugging can be. As with any problem-solving situation, you have to create a workspace that allows you to quickly isolate a problem and receive instantaneous feedback on an issue. It can be difficult to create this environment with coding problems in particular because by nature they can be difficult to identify and isolate on screen. By using a whiteboard for debugging, developers can break down algorithms piece by piece and receive instantaneous feedback from their coworkers.


3. Whiteboards Spark Creativity
   In past blog posts, we’ve discussed how whiteboarding can have a direct impact on your creativity. In short, writing by hand is scientifically proven to help maintain focus due to the way the brain interprets hand gestures when we’re writing, and since developers are often required to find alternative and out-of-the-box solutions to problems, writing by hand may help stimulate original ideas. Taking time away from the screen may just be the best thing a struggling developer can do to beat programmers block.

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If you’re interested in learning more about how you can implement whiteboards in your workspace, you may want to start by learning about our WhiteWall dry erase panels!

We’ll be the first to admit that drawing straight lines on a whiteboard isn’t easy. Most whiteboards are too large for the conventional ruler, and without an object to rest your marker on, it’s nearly impossible to create a perfectly straight line. Over the past several years our sales team has had many discussions with individuals looking for a better way to organize their whiteboarding efforts. One solution we often refer our customers to is our line of ShadeLine^® whiteboards that feature permanently printed shaded rows. We recently took the time to talk to a handful of Magnatag’s Visual Systems Specialists to get a better understanding of how the ShadeLine^® whiteboard can help improve your whiteboard organization.

Whiteboards can be used pretty much anywhere; is there a specific industry or profession that has shown a lot of interest in the ShadeLine whiteboards?
“I would say the majority of the ShadeLine boards that are being purchased are mostly for the commercial business industry. It’s one of those whiteboards that offers a lot of flexibility that you don’t necessarily have with a job-specific board. Five different people can purchase an identical ShadeLine board and use it for five completely different purposes; people really seem to love that type of functionality.

What is it about ShadeLine that separates it from the other lined whiteboard systems on the market?
“For starters, people like that the lines are permanently printed and there isn’t any need to draw additional rows. If you want to create columns, you can go ahead and do so with whiteboard tape, so the board isn’t necessarily restricted to a single-use. In addition, people love the fact that the built-in rows have some definition—making it easier to follow handwriting from left to right—with the alternating shades because it’s a bit more attractive and it adds some definition to each row.

What are most people using the ShadeLine whiteboards for?
“Most people seem to be using these boards for scheduling purposes—at least the boards that I’m selling are. It’s really great for keeping track of things on a daily or weekly basis because there’s just enough space to separate the board into a week or month period, and it allows you to set columns up the way you would like without the need to create a custom-printed solution.

Why would someone want to purchase a ShadeLine whiteboard over a plain whiteboard with taped lines?
“To put it simply, the ShadeLine saves you time. Sure, you can tape horizontal rows onto a plain whiteboard, but you’re going to be spending a lot more time setting up the board than necessary. I always walk my clients through three of our whiteboards before setting up an order: plain, lined and the ShadeLine. People always say they don’t want to take the time to tape up the entirety of their board so that instantly takes the plain board out of contention. Then you show them the board that has lines both horizontally and vertically, and then they’ll decide they don’t want to have a defined number of columns; the ShadeLine kind of meets somewhere in the middle of the two options. Nine times out of ten people choose the ShadeLine for that reason alone. Overall, I think the Shadeline boards make it easier to organize your work in comparison to a standard whiteboard.

Do you have any advice to offer to someone that may be looking into purchasing a ShadeLine, but is unsure of whether or not it’s the right decision for their needs?
“I like to let people know that they have a choice when purchasing these boards. Sometimes people initially think you’re stuck with one size board or row-height option, but we do offer a variety of sizes for both. Usually, when I’m working with someone on one of these boards I like to make sure they have a concrete idea of how many rows the will need to have and how much space will be needed for columns. People usually have a pretty good idea of that when they’re this far along in the purchasing process, but you always like to make sure everything has been accounted for.

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If you'd like to learn more about ShadeLine whiteboards, visit our website

Whiteboards have had a place in the world of sports ever since they hit the mainstream in the 1980s. Coaches to draw up plays on the sideline; general managers spend hours brainstorming depth cart strategy with their scouting team, and players fine-tune their playbook knowledge all with the help of a whiteboard. We recently took some time to look back at some of our favorite whiteboard memories from this past sports season.

Last week HBO’s hit comedy about the American tech industry, Silicon Valley, kicked off its forth season with a major game changer. In last week’s premier, one of the show’s main characters, Richard Hendricks (played by Thomas Middledich), walked away from his start-up tech company (Pied Pieper) in favor of pursuing a new passion project. This departure had been in the cards for some time, with Richard falling in and out of love with the idea of owning a company he no longer believes in since the show’s early days. However, watching how the decision will affect the shows additional characters looks to be a main source of inspiration for the series going forward.

A couple weeks back we received a picture of WhiteWalls being put to use in a local high school English classroom. This image is just one of the many we frequently receive from satisfied Magnatag customers on a regular basis. I recently followed up with the member of our sales team that was responsible for the order in hopes to better understand what prompted the school's interest in WhiteWalls.

This past weekend I got a chance to catch the new Amy Adams film: Arrival at my local movie theater. If you haven’t already, I highly suggested you check it out. The film covers numerous themes such as loss, love and the unknown; set against the backdrop of an alien invasion—but it challenges the conventional formula of your typical sci-fi blockbuster.

Between brainstorming sessions, random acts of doodling, and non-stop note taking, you’re probably interacting with your whiteboard on a daily basis. Just like hardwood floors and granite countertops, proper care and maintenance is required to help dry erase boards stay in top shape. In an effort to help you keep your whiteboard in tip-top share, we’ve put together this how-to guide for cleaning and maintaining your dry erase surface.

Summer's now behind us, and with that being said, 2017 is just around the corner! It's been an outstanding year so far for the Magnatag team, with hundreds of custom boards coming through our manufacturing and shipping facility in the past 9 months, ranging from patient bedside boards for hospitals to tactical maps used by branches of the US government. For this week's whiteboard Friday, we decided to show you a few of the more new and unique custom board layouts our design team has done for customers who needed special features to communicate their message.

Every industry develops its own set of words and phrases. Whether you’re a lawyer, production manager, executive, accountant, or engineer, you’ll encounter catchphrases and trade names on a daily—if not hourly—basis. Frequently used as a method to help us communicate complex or multifaceted items quickly and efficiently, industry slang is a great device for the sake of simplicity in the workplace. The thing about industry-specific terms and phrases is that they carry an enormous amount weight for people familiar with the trade. The only downside is: they’re not universally understood.

Every year, 2.3 million weddings occur within the U.S. alone. That averages out to roughly 6,200 weddings a day according to statistics provided by soundvision.com. Sound Vision also estimates that couples receive gifts from an average of 200 guests, with each gift ranging anywhere from $70 to $100 in price. With all these numbers being thrown around, weddings can easily transition from an exciting and joyous event into a major headache if not planned accordingly.

Everyday, thousands—if not millions—of posts make their way onto Reddit in hopes of achieving 15 minutes of Internet fame. With the domain’s user base exceeding seven figures, only the best of the best content makes its way to the site’s front page. A few months ago, James Mayne, a high school History teacher living in Paradise California, uploaded a collection of personal whiteboard illustrations to the popular site to much acclaim (a link to which can be found here). The Magnatag team was extremely impressed with James’ craftsmanship so we managed to get in touch with him for this week’s iteration of Whiteboards We Love. Here’s what he had to say:

We love whiteboards here at Magnatag (we know, shocking!) and we believe that dry erase surfaces are at their best when encouraging others to collaborate. Commonly used as a tool to help revitalize the conference room of days past, whiteboards are built from the ground-up with creativity in mind. Don't believe us? Check out the infographic below to see for yourself!

A few weeks ago Business Matters Magazine ran an article featuring how some UK-based startups spark creativity and collaboration in their offices. The article details that Epson UK—a leader in worldwide digital imaging technology—recently conducted research amongst 500 entrepreneurs, which found that over 70 percent of new businesses utilize dry-erase technology on a daily basis.

A big hurdle many whiteboard owners face is hanging their unit. A board may be an awkward fit for a desired wall space, or you may be worried about whether or not your cement-board wall will have the structural integrity to hold the weight of your whiteboard. Magnatag recently developed a technology that alleviates these worries, while making hanging a whiteboard easier.

Here at Magnatag, we are constantly evaluating dry erase surfaces to determine the best materials for use in our boards. Given that there are so many surfaces to pick from, we have taken an extreme amount of care in examining every possible surface to ensure our customers receive the best-possible product for their dollar. For instance, we choose to use a porcelain-like material (a hybrid of porcelain and proprietary-coated steel) when it comes to the production of our whiteboards; this material gives our production team an opportunity to print anything our customers request, directly on the dry erase surface! To give you a better estimate of what other types of whiteboards you may find on the market, we have put together a list of the most popular materials manufacturers use when producing dry erase surfaces!

Whiteboards are an essential tool for every professional. We use them everyday; some of our customers use them to keep organized, while others use them as a practical method of displaying information and communicating with coworkers. A lot of times using a product like a whiteboard becomes second nature of sorts; we are so used to having them around the office, yet many of us know so little about them. Have you ever wondered where the whiteboard came from? The whiteboard has undergone quite an evolution since its conception in the 1960s. What originally started as a substitute for the traditional chalkboard quickly revolutionized the way we display information.

At the Safari Animal Care Center in Houston, Texas, internationally known veterinarian Dr. Steven Garner, with his exotic animals and furry things that bite runs his clinic a little bit differently. His 1.5 doctor clinic is the only one in Houston that treats exotic animals and is selling six times the average 1.5-doctor veterinary clinic. Garner’s practice is about building processes and he manages his grooming, boarding and veterinary services clinic using whiteboard systems.

After a disappointing 3-13 record last year, there was an immense importance for the Oakland Raiders to have a successful draft last weekend. With proper preparation and state of the art war room that included Magnatag Visible Systems’ WhiteWalls^® (magnetic whiteboard wall paneling), the Oakland Raiders were equipped to execute a successful draft.

Albert Einstein once said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” Whiteboard collaboration seems simple, but studies show it is also a sophisticated and effective tool, with learners retaining 90% of what they say and do.

If you've been reading this blog for some time now, then you've discovered that there are plenty of advantages to having a whiteboard. Whether it's in the office, your home, or even your home office, they're great for things like time management, organization, and keeping track of projects, for example. However, there's one way to utilize a whiteboard that I've discovered to be extremely useful, and that's for storyboarding.

There are three main types of learning styles, and while the majority of people will learn through a combination of the three, everyone is unique in their own way. There are auditory learners, people who learn better when having something explained to them, as opposed to having to read about it. There are also kinesthetic learners, who learn best through a "hands-on" approach, with writing things down as an example. Lastly, there are visual learners, which we'll be focusing on with this post.

Visual learners are those who process information and learn the best by seeing things play out in front of them. Whether it's through reading, watching a presentation, or looking at charts, for example, visual learners pick up the most information by seeing things happen. With that said, whether it's in the classroom or the office, whiteboards aren't just useful for unique presentations, but they're very effective for the visual learners in the room.

Here are some effective ways that whiteboards can really help visual learners.

There are many advantages to being left-handed. Not only is being left-handed an advantage when playing sports, but "lefties" often have better memories, are often times faster typists, can be better at video games, and are able to take on more at once. It's the little victories, right?

Did you know that left-handers only make up about 10% of the population? As someone who is left-handed myself, I've gone through the struggles that come along with it. Let's face it, most things are made to be most comfortable for those that are right-handed. With the majority of the population being right-handed, it makes sense, but how about some love for the left-handed crowd?

With many different types of useful whiteboards out there, especially in the business world, those of you that are left-handed will have to use them too. One problem that I've had in the past when writing is smudging, but that, as an example, is something that I've been able to correct in the past. I did this a few ways, which I would like to share with you.

Did you know that whiteboards are outstanding for giving video presentations? When we think of video presentations, we typically think of the traditional, often-boring PowerPoint. We've all sat through plenty of these, whether it was in grade school, college, or in meetings at our jobs. Two of the main reasons that people utilize PowerPoint presentations so much is that they're simple to do and, more importantly, because they're very cost-efficient.

What if I told you that you could do a video presentation on a whiteboard that was also inexpensive? This is something that I've personally had great success with in the past, and now I want to share some tips with you. It's important to be creative, so here are some reasons why and how you can utilize whiteboards to make some really inexpensive yet awesome presentations.

Last week I came across a great article featured on Fast Company Design (a must read for anyone interested in design) from Jake Knapp: a design partner at Google Ventures, highlighting the importance of having a "War Room" for your design team.  In the article, Knapp states three main reasons why "War Rooms" work so well:

Dry-erase boards serve a number of purposes depending upon where they are used. They are frequently used in the classroom, office setting, and within the home. Dry-erase boards have replaced chalkboards in a variety of environments. They are the perfect solution for many problems, as they provide many advantages to traditional chalk and chalkboards. The ability to erase written data while using a variety of colorful markers provides fast solutions. Not only are dry-erase boards more efficient, but they look better, too. Whether in the classroom, office, or home, you will find many advantages to using dry-erase boards.

Steve Jobs famously said “Creativity is just connecting things." When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”  Steve Jobs was right about connecting independent ideas. A study performed by neuroscientist Dr. Mark Beeman, published in 2009 showed that a sudden moment of brilliance, although seemingly disconnected from proceeding thoughts, is a “culmination of a series of brain states and processes operating at different time scales.” The practice of collecting and organizing seemingly disconnected thoughts and ideas can help us make the connection and see opportunities and solutions to seemingly complex problems.