Dry erase boards Dry erase boards are simply a great invention.  Dry erase boards are those shiny white flat surfaces that are quickly replacing the traditional ‘black board’ in schools, colleges, and businesses everywhere. Anyone that does any amount of teaching or presenting is probably familiar with dry erase boards. Dry erase boards work in the same way that black boards do.   You write whatever you want on them, and just a quick swipe or two with cloth eraser, the markings are gone.  Dry erase boards are an improvement over black boards, however, because you don’t have to fuss with messy chalk anymore.  Instead, dry erase boards work with special pens that are as easy to use as regular marking pens.  Like normal markers, the dry erase board pens have felt tips that draw out ink from an internal reservoir.  They last seemingly forever, however they are prone to the same risk of drying out as regular felt pens are.  Once dried out, they’re basically useless, but if you are careful to keep the cap on them they’ll work for ages.  Regular felt pens will not work on a dry erase board; their ink is very hard to wash off and could ruin the board.  You have to be careful not to mix in any regular felt markers with your dry erase board pens. Dry erase boards are also a lot easier to clean than black boards.  Erasing chalk was never really a perfect process, and really just smeared the chalk all over the board.  Chalk boards therefore have to be washed fairly regularly, but a dry erase board can be used for a long time without washing.  Even if your dry erase board does start to get dirty, they are easy to clean with some basic spray on chemical cleaners.  Dry erase boards are now commonly used as instructional surfaces in classroom type environments, lining entire portions of walls in the same way black boards often do.  Teachers generally love them, as they are more convenient and much less messy than chalkboards.  The pens for dry erase boards come in a full spectrum of colors, and are usually sharper and easier to see than chalk.  The dry erase boards themselves are also sold as smaller, more portable surfaces that can be brought into a room and set up on a stand for a presentation.  Inexpensive, convenient, easy to use and easy to clean, dry erase boards are a very versatile tool for anyone that regularly makes presentations.