An office meeting room often wants a white board for writing, with a pinboard nearby. A school wants a large writing board and a cork or fabric board for displays. A shop or reception may want a printed board that works as decoration first. The sections below explain each type.
Buyer guide
Pin board vs whiteboard: which board should you choose?
Pin board vs whiteboard comes down to the job. Choose a pin or cork board to pin notices, a magnetic board to hold paper with magnets, a white board to write and wipe, and a glass board for a clean, designed look. Start from the job, then pick the surface, size and frame.
Which board suits an office, school or shop?
Start with the job
Ask what the board must do. If people pin up notices, photos or plans, a pinboard or cork board fits. If they need to write, wipe and rewrite, a white board fits. If they hold papers without making holes, a magnetic surface fits. If the board is part of the room design, a printed or glass board fits.
We make six board types: framed pinboards, frameless pinboards, cork boards, magnetic boards, white boards and glass boards. Framed boards share one set of frame colours, so different board types can match on the same wall.
How the six types differ
The table lists what each board is made of, from our catalogue.
| Board | Surface and build | Framing |
|---|---|---|
| Framed pinboard | Fabric or cork surface, foam core, engineered wood back, solid wood frame | Framed |
| Frameless pinboard | Fabric in five colours, foam core, engineered wood back | Frameless |
| Cork board | 100% natural cork where pin holes can close up over time | Framed or frameless |
| Magnetic board | Gloss magnetic laminate on a steel sheet, engineered wood core | Framed only |
| White board | Smooth gloss, wipe-clean surface on engineered wood core | Framed only |
| Glass board | Printed vinyl under regular thin glass, on engineered wood, magnetic or not | Framed only |
Pin and cork boards
Pin and cork boards take pins, and the holes can close up over time, so the surface stays usable. Cork is natural and has a recognisable look; fabric pinboards come in colours and can be printed, which suits offices and schools that want a neater wall.
Pinboards sit on a high-density foam core with an engineered wood back. Frameless versions are the usual choice for notice and bulletin boards, while framed versions suit a desk or a reception wall.
If you are unsure between cork and fabric, ask for both surfaces in the same size and frame, and pin a few sheets to each. The difference in feel and in how the holes close is easier to judge by hand than from a description.
- Cork: natural look, good for notices and hobby walls.
- Fabric pinboard: colour or print, a cleaner office look.
- Framed or frameless: frame colour can match your other products.
Magnetic, white and glass boards
A magnetic board has a gloss laminated surface on a steel sheet, plain or printed, so magnets hold paper without pins. A white board has a smooth gloss surface made for writing and wiping, in a wood or polystyrene frame.
A glass board is built in layers: an engineered wood board at the back, vinyl pasted on top, then regular thin glass of about 2 mm or 3 mm over the vinyl. The vinyl gives the base colour you choose, because the glass itself is clear. The magnetic version adds an iron sheet beneath the vinyl. It looks sleek in an office, but it is heavier and needs careful handling.
Size, print and what to send
Boards come in standard sizes, with sixteen standard pinboard sizes listed, and are made to measure up to 6 feet. The largest size depends on the board type, so give the type and size together. Any map, pattern or artwork can be printed on every board type.
In your brief, name the board type, the size, whether a writing board should be magnetic, the frame colour, and where any print should sit. Say how you will sell the boards so the packing can be planned. Your quote confirms the price. Samples are paid, and we can reimburse the cost or adjust it in your final order.
Pin board vs whiteboard: matching the board to the room
An office meeting room often wants a white board for writing, with a pinboard nearby for notices, and perhaps a printed glass board for a designed look. A school classroom usually wants a large writing board and a cork or fabric board for displays. A reception area or shop may want a printed board, such as a map, that works as decoration first and a notice board second. Framed cork boards arrive with hanging fittings in place, and framed pinboards are ready to hang horizontally or vertically.
Because framed boards share one set of frame colours, you can build a matched wall, with a pinboard, a magnetic board and a glass board in the same finish. That is easier to sell as a set than three unrelated boards.
Think about care too. Writing boards need a wipe-clean surface. Glass is heavy and needs a secure fixing, so say where it will hang.
Questions buyers ask
Is a glass board magnetic?
It can be either. A magnetic glass board has an iron sheet between the engineered wood and the vinyl, and a non-magnetic one is built the same way without the iron sheet. The glass itself is clear, and the vinyl gives the colour you choose. Say which version you want in your brief.
Next step
Send the brief. We quote the boards your range needs.
Tell us which boards your range needs and how you will sell them.