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While the focus of this buyer's guide is electronic/interactive whiteboards, we would like to briefly touch upon some of the other types available in the market as well. Many of these whiteboards could already be considered old-fashioned, but they have their own uses. Equally importantly, these whiteboards offer a cheaper alternative, particularly for those who do not need the sophistication of high-end interactive whiteboards.

Melamine whiteboards

These whiteboards are perfectly suited for those who need to make only light use, particularly in homes, or smaller meeting rooms or locker rooms. Since they use a clear coat writing surface, it is very easy to write on them and erase what's been written. Of course, repeated usage can cause the coating to wear off and leave behind some residual marking, which is undesirable. However, these whiteboards are more than handy for those who require only occasional use.

Porcelain steel magnetic whiteboards

One of the key advantages of this type of whiteboard over melamine boards is that they show much lower tendency to leave behind residual marking upon repeated use. Since there is a steel background, magnets can be used to hold paper/ charts. More expensive than melamine boards, the porcelain steel boards are suitable for those with greater usage requirements.

Graphic boards & black white boards

Available with both material, melamine and porcelain, the graphic boards essentially come with built-in graphics. These are well suited for an educational setting.

Meanwhile, the black whiteboards are those that come with a black/dark background on which different/ highly contrasting colours can be used.

Of course, none of these whiteboards can match the features and functionality offered by electronic whiteboards which can take away a lot of manual effort in information capture and dissemination in the classroom or in meetings.

In the next piece, we will cover the different types of digital / electronic whiteboards.