Decades ago it was easy to distinguish a flipchart from a whiteboard. A flipchart was a pad made from flexible sheets of paper that were written on using permanent markers. Conversely, a whiteboard was a rigid, shiny surface that was written on using dry-erase markers.
Today there is an overlap where there are special erasable flipchart sheets from suppliers in several countries. From Pacon in the U. S. there are 25” by 30” GOwrite dry erase easel pads. And from Wipebook Corporation in Ottawa, Canada there are 24” by 30” Wipebook flipcharts. Also, from Magic Whiteboard Limited in Worcester, England there are 60 cm by 80 cm (23.6” by 31.5”) Magic Whiteboard sheets. From the Netherlands there are MOYU Flipstone with 65 by 100 cm (25.6” by 39.4”) sheets and Bambook Flip-ever with 59.4 cm by 84 cm (25.4” by 33.1”) sheets.
If you do not have the lead time to order these special sheets, then you can make your own dry-erase sheets by putting strips of clear packaging tape over standard flipchart paper.
How long have erasable flipcharts been around? I found them described in a Training 101 article at the October 1993 issue of Training & Development magazine. A section by Shawn L. Doyle on page 18 titled Ten Tips for Fabulous Flips said under #2:
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could reuse the same charts over again? You can. Here are several options:
If you have a limited number of charts, frame them in clear plastic frames and use a grease pencil to check off major points. After the session, you can wipe off the pencil marks with a soft cloth.
Cut long strips of acetate (transparency material) and glue or tape them to the flipchart pages in the areas you want to mark on. Again, use a grease pencil so that you can wipe off your in-class work. The acetate strips are not visible from a distance.
Take your flipchart pages to a laminating company and have them laminated. This creates a slick, erasable surface.”
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