Ask HN: What kind of whiteboard does not use dry erase markers?

A long time ago, a colleague and I visited a supplier in another state. While we were waiting alone in a conference room, we noticed an unusual looking note taking device at the front of the room. It was a very large easel that looked like a white board, with a tray of markers and an eraser. But it was clearly electronic because it had stuff attached to the top and bottom, some buttons, and was plugged in. We walked up to the easel, drew a large circle on it, and pressed what looked like a COPY button, curious how it was going to perform that task.

The machine whirred into action, scrolling the white board material (which turned out to be a flexible plastic-like film) over the top of the easel, and paying out fresh whiteboard up from the bottom. A perfect duplicate of our circle on paper spat out of a slot in the machine, akin to a FAX machine. As the scrolling came to a stop, it revealed a previously hidden drawing -- someone had drawn a large "X" in the middle of the page. I guess we weren't the only ones who were curious how the machine worked.

wrp · a year ago

In the 1990s, I went to a lab in Tokyo for a presentation, and they had me using a freestanding whiteboard. When the board got full, I grabbed the eraser but a few in the audience started going "wait! wait". I thought they needed more time to copy the writing, but then a guy came up from the audience and pressed a button at the side of the board. The writing surface scrolled off to the side and a printout emerged from a machine in the corner.

rubatuga · a year ago

The tactile experience sounds amazinf

RaftPeople · a year ago

We had a few of those years ago. It kind of worked but was also another device that you had to understand how to load paper or work through error conditions.

creer · a year ago

Techies and magic - hours of entertainment. Like cats and string :-)

Slightly off topic, but if you ever write on a whiteboard with a sharpie, you can write over the text with an erasable marker and then wipe it away.

LeoPanthera · a year ago

This works because the solvent base for the ink is alcohol, so a much simpler method that doesn't waste ink is to use a small spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol. Ideally 99/100%, if you can get it. (Try eBay.)

This doubles up as an effective whiteboard cleaner.

lathiat · a year ago

Hand sanitiser is great for this. A dab of whisky on a paper towel also works well.

firefax · a year ago

Yeah, I'm mostly posting this for folks who might not have access to ISO, but if you do, that is the best solution.

brudgers · a year ago

If you want to remove Sharpie, use IPA...isopropyl alcohol...India pale ale remains useless.

echelon · a year ago

Isopropyl removes all inks and glues. It's incredible.

It's also fantastic to wash your hands with when doing cell and tissue cultures and trying to avoid contamination.

MathMonkeyMan · a year ago

Your pale ale clearly isn't strong enough!

kazinator · a year ago

I second that. I discovered that IPA dissolves sharpie resin when doing DIY circuitboards via toner transfer. When you do toner transfer, you can use a Sharpie to fix up imperfections in the artwork before doing the etching. After the copper is etched, you remove the ink.

The first time I did that, I tried IPA first, and that took off the Sharpie touch ups, not doing anything to the laser printer toner.

Next up, acetone: swoosh, clean copper in one wipe.

dlcarrier · a year ago

I use hand sanitizer, so an alcoholic beverage might work, although it's significantly diluted.

fahrnfahrnfahrn · a year ago

You can do the same with a Sharpie. All inks contain a solvent for their pigment, so you can use the same marker to remove the same ink. Just mark over it and immediately wipe it off.

BleakButBold · a year ago

Even better, sunscreen (I just use old, expired ones). Don’t know why, but it does a great job.

seoulbigchris · a year ago

vladsanchez · a year ago

I bought this 4'x3' Black Glass Board back in 2017 for $150! I write with white and neon colored liquid chalk markers and it's the best!

Here: https://a.co/d/hlrwPHQ

Enjoy it.

ThePowerOfFuet · a year ago

Tracking-free link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JOW6EGY

saurik · a year ago

Wow! Do you then use white board erasers, chalk board erasers, paper towels, microfiber clothes, squeegees ;P, or what do you use then to erase?

myvoiceismypass · a year ago

Is there a particular advantage to getting the black version of this versus the ultra white version?

aaron695 · a year ago

Ditto, same size, same thing (different brand), cheaper pickup ~ $70 (2024) "Magnetic Glass Board", chose black since it seemed less NPC.

Lots of cool pens on Temu - https://www.temu.com/search_result.html?search_key=Liquid%20...

Also cool. Looks great under a UV light too.

In a previous apartment, I painted a wall with several coats of blackboard (chalkboard) paint and then used fancy chalk on it, and a chalkboard eraser. Worked pretty well. The landlord even let me keep it up when I moved out, because the next tenants liked it.

hnbear · a year ago

We did this when we renovated. Had a kitchen wall section chalk board painted for notes, as well as a much larger section of the kids play room wall.

The notes was useful space on the kitchen and the playroom one the kids just loved to doodle. Their friends were always impressed and loved to be able to leave a tag or doodle on it when they came over.

We tried a layer of magnetic paint too, but it didn’t work nearly as well.

I'm of the generation that had student labs (with eye-wateringly expensive computers) full of chalk dust. Chalk dust everywhere. I still have chalk dust trauma I guess and even with better housekeeping habits I'd think twice about it. Doodling opportunity so very tempting though.

DAhelloNG · a year ago

I write directly on the drywall, it's a lifehack that forces you to accept your past ideas and thoughts.

cf100clunk · a year ago

Once, long ago, I wrote some pithy, earth-shattering thoughts onto the wall while extremely high, and was self-satisfied at the gift I'd bestowed upon the world. The next day I had no idea or recollection of what it meant, and on reflection I wish it had been on a white board and not wallpaper.

oldsklgdfth · a year ago

When I was renovating my kitchen, I left some notes on the wall before putting up cabinets. A little treat for the next renovator.

yjftsjthsd-h · a year ago

...Permanently? You just keep everything indefinitely?

Until I move out yea

snailmailman · a year ago

Different purpose than a whiteboard, because its much smaller and not really for sharing with a group. But I've used a Rocketbook 'reusable notebook' off and on for a while for any random notes at my desk. I used to just fill up a whiteboard by my desk with random notes instead of wasting paper, but now I scribble things in the Rocketbook instead. You write in it with an erasable pen, and can clean the pages off with a bit of water and a cloth.

I just flip to a blank page and write down anything i need. Then once in a while i go through and erase all the pages and start fresh again. I like that i can write very small and detailed - unlike with a whiteboard. But it also isn't a complete waste of paper. (and its still physical, unlike taking notes on an iPad)

woleium · a year ago

there’s the one you can microwave too, the rocketbook wave iirc?

It’s a neat concept, but I think the microwaveable ones have a shorter longevity. They say it can only be microwaved around 5 times. I suspect they just work because when heated, the erasable ink becomes invisible.

On the normal pocketbooks, the ink actually washes off with just a bit of water. It’s very similar to a whiteboard in that regard. I know I’ve cleaned out my notebook more than five times, it’s still basically good as new. Except one page where I accidentally used a normal non-erasable pen.

Avshalom · a year ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackboard

hartator · a year ago

What would be the fancy modern buyable version of this?

Deleted Comment

dandrew5 · a year ago

Keeping it classic, nice. How do you manage the dust?

snackbroken · a year ago

1) Try a few different "dustless" chalk brands. Pick the one that's the least dusty. It probably won't write as nicely. 2) Erase with a damp cloth, not a dry felt eraser. 3) Use a blackboard with relatively low surface roughness. It won't write as nicely.

farseer · a year ago

Perhaps with multiple vacuums attached on the bezels.

wombatpm · a year ago

Crayola make dry erase crayons. No fumes, cool colors