Bulletin Board or Whiteboard – How to Choose the Right One

Bulletin boards and write boards solve different problems, even though they often end up side by side in the same office. A bulletin board holds physical paper, notes, and reminders. A write board is where ideas take shape in the moment – in meetings, on project walls, in conversations. This guide helps you choose the right board for the right place, and shows when a combined solution is the better answer.

The short answer

A bulletin board has a surface of cork, textile, or felt. You attach things to it with pins or magnets, and the information stays up for days or weeks. A write board has a smooth surface for whiteboard markers and magnets. It’s used for quick ideas, meeting notes, and visual problem-solving – content that changes multiple times a day.

If you need both, combined boards are available with a cork or textile section and a whiteboard section in the same frame.

	Bulletin board	Write board
Surface	Cork, textile, or felt	Smooth, lacquered, or enameled
Tools	Pins, magnets, fasteners	Whiteboard pens, magnets
Time perspective	Slow information (days–weeks)	Fast information (minutes–days)
Typical content	Schedules, policies, photos, notes	Meeting notes, sketches, lists
Primary location	Corridor, break room, project wall	Meeting room, project room
Readability at distance	Depends on paper size	Strong – text readable from metres away
Sound environment	Dampens some sound (soft surface)	Reflects sound (hard surface)

When to choose a bulletin board

A bulletin board is the right choice when information needs to stay visible for a while and reach a lot of people. It works well wherever printouts, physical reminders, and visual overviews make more sense than a screen.

Corridors and break rooms – schedules, menus, policies
Staff rooms with rotating information from multiple departments
Project walls for reference materials: mood boards, sketches, photos
Reception areas and entrances for visitor information
Classrooms where student work is displayed

When to choose a write board

A write board is the right choice when thinking happens in real time and the content needs to change fast. It gives everyone a shared surface for dialogue and takes up far less space than printouts or sticky-note systems.

Meeting rooms for agendas, decisions, and brainstorming
Project rooms with daily stand-ups, kanban, or scrum boards
Development teams visualizing architecture and workflows
Classrooms and training rooms for interactive teaching
Brainstorming zones in activity-based offices

Combined solutions – when you need both

Many offices skip the either/or and just combine. A combination board has a cork or textile section for pinned material and a whiteboard section for spontaneous writing – in the same frame, or as two boards mounted side by side. It’s usually the smartest solution in smaller meeting rooms, home project rooms, or break rooms where wall space is limited and both needs are real.

Two separate boards give the same result with more flexibility to size each surface for its actual use – a large write board for active work alongside a smaller bulletin board for reference material.

Meeting rooms

In a meeting room, the write board is the default. Meetings move forward by sketching ideas, formulating decisions, and listing next steps while people are in the room.

4–8 people: 120–180 cm wide
Larger rooms: 200–240 cm
A small bulletin board alongside works for standing information

Project walls

A project wall is where a small team works with the same theme over time. A combination works best here: a write board for daily work – tasks, decisions, open questions – and a bulletin board for reference material that needs to stay up throughout the project.

Allow 200–300 cm of continuous wall space for a group of 4–6
Mobile write boards work better in open-plan areas
Fixed mounting is the better choice for permanent locations

Corridors and everyday information

In corridors, by the coffee corner, and in break rooms, the bulletin board is the right choice. The information there is slow: weekly schedules, lunch menus, union notices, safety instructions, event photos.

A standard 90 × 120 cm bulletin board holds around 12–16 A4 sheets
Larger spaces need 120 × 180 cm or bigger
Felt or textile surfaces are better than hard cork for acoustics

Placement – height, lighting, and visibility

The board’s function isn’t just about size and type. Where and how you mount it matters just as much. Three factors drive placement: height, light, and visibility in the room.

Height

Write boards for standing use: lower edge 80–95 cm from the floor
Write boards for seated meetings: lower edge around 70 cm
Bulletin boards: lower edge 110–125 cm for natural eye level
Upper edge: no higher than 200 cm for full usability without a ladder

Lighting

Whiteboards are particularly sensitive to poor lighting. Light from above or from the side gives even illumination without reflections. Light directly in front creates glare on the shiny surface. Aim for 300–500 lux evenly distributed for text to be readable from across the room.

Visibility and reading distance

A write board needs to be readable from the furthest working distance in the room. The rule of thumb: text height must be at least 1/200 of the reading distance. If someone is reading from six metres away, the text needs to be at least 3 cm tall. Choose a larger board for longer meeting tables, and position bulletin boards at natural stopping points rather than the middle of a long corridor.

Location	Type	Recommended size (WxH)	Lower edge from floor
Small meeting room (4–6 people)	Write board	120 × 90 cm	80–90 cm
Medium meeting room (6–10 people)	Write board	180 × 120 cm	80–90 cm
Large meeting room / training	Write board	240 × 120 cm	80 cm
Project wall (combination)	Write board + bulletin	240–300 cm total width	80–95 cm
Corridor / break room	Bulletin board	120 × 90 cm	110–120 cm
Central staff room	Bulletin board	180 × 120 cm	110–125 cm
Entrance / reception	Bulletin board	90 × 120 cm	120 cm

Common mistakes

Write board too small for the room
Bulletin board in a meeting room that never actually uses it
Boards mounted too high
Write board facing a window – glare makes it unreadable
Unstructured bulletin board that turns into clutter
Choosing board size based on available wall space rather than actual use

Checklist before you order

Define the primary function: static information or active writing?
Measure the room and determine the maximum reading distance
Check lower and upper edge heights relative to the people using it
Check lighting and window position to avoid glare on write boards
Choose a frame colour that works with or against the wall
Decide on mounting type: fixed for permanent locations, mobile for flexible ones
Consider accessories: cork strips, magnetic lists, pen holders
Think about a combined solution if the space has both needs

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a bulletin board and a write board?

A bulletin board has a soft surface of cork, textile, or felt and is used to pin up paper. A write board has a smooth, hard surface for whiteboard markers and magnets. The first is for information that stays put; the second for information that changes often.

Can you combine a bulletin board and a write board?

Yes. Combination boards have one section of cork or textile and another section of write board in the same frame. You can also mount two separate boards side by side, which gives you more freedom to size each surface for its actual use.

How high should a write board be mounted?

For standing use, the lower edge should be 80–95 cm from the floor. For seated meetings, 70 cm is enough. The upper edge shouldn’t exceed 200 cm if you want the full board to be usable without a ladder.

What size write board fits a meeting room?

For four to six people, 120 × 90 cm works. For eight to ten participants, go with 180 × 120 cm. Training and conference rooms need 240 × 120 cm or larger. The board needs to be readable from the furthest seat in the room.

Is a cork board the same as a bulletin board?

A cork board is one type of bulletin board. The term bulletin board also covers textile and felt-covered boards. The material affects how the board looks and how well it absorbs light and sound, but the function is the same.

Can a write board be used as a project wall?

Yes. For projects where the content changes daily, a write board is a good fit – ideally paired with a smaller bulletin board for reference material that needs to stay up throughout the project. Mobile or freestanding write board are especially practical in project zones that move over time.

Summary

Bulletin boards and write boards aren’t competing for the same job. Bulletin boards hold slow information that needs to stay visible. Write boards handle fast thinking in the moment. Most offices need both, and the smarter question is usually where each one goes rather than which one to pick. Get the mounting height right, check the lighting, and size each board for the actual reading distance in the room.

About Glimakra of Sweden

Glimakra of Sweden has been manufacturing acoustic products for offices since the 1950s. The product range includes desk screens, floor screens, wall absorbers, ceiling absorbers and complete solutions for activity-based offices. Manufacturing takes place in Glimåkra, Sweden.