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.
If you'd like to learn more about ShadeLine whiteboards, visit our website
Magnatag InSight
The whiteboard and how it helps us brainstorm, innovate, motivate and create.
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