Home / What is a soft board? The names for pinning boards, explained

What is a soft board? The names for pinning boards, explained

A soft board is any board with a surface soft enough to take drawing pins. In India the same thing is sold as a soft board, pin board, push pin board or notice board, and abroad as a pinboard, tack board or corkboard. The name tells you little; what matters is the surface underneath.

A wall of framed prints, a cork pin board, a blue fabric pin board and a white writing board above a sideboard — Illustrative visual of a cork pin board and a blue fabric pin board beside a white writing board and framed prints

One object, many names

Search for a board to pin papers on and you will meet half a dozen names for what is, in practice, the same object. Here is how each word is generally used:

Soft board: the everyday Indian term, used in schools, offices and stationery shops. It describes the feel of the surface, not the material.
Pin board / push pin board: named after what you use with it. Common on shopping sites.
Notice board / bulletin board: named after the job. Notice board is the Indian and British word; bulletin board is American.
Pinboard: the British spelling, written as one word.
Tack board or tackboard: an American term, after thumbtacks, the US name for drawing pins.
Display board: used by schools and exhibitions for larger boards.
Cork board or corkboard: the only name here that tells you the material: a surface of cork, which comes from tree bark.

What a soft board can actually be made of

Because the names describe use rather than material, two soft boards sold under the same name can be quite different. Typical surfaces include natural cork, foam or soft fibre board, fabric stretched over a backing, and printed pinning surfaces. Before buying, ask a shop three questions: what is the surface, is it printed, and what is the base? Those answers matter far more than whether the listing says soft board or pin board.

How the names map to ArtzFolio boards

On our site, the two pinning boards are named after their surface:

Pin board (notice board): a printed fabric surface about 12 mm thick with your chosen design printed on it. This is what most people mean by a soft board, with a picture or layout instead of a plain colour. It comes with a polystyrene frame in six finishes, and can be made magnetic or non-magnetic.
Cork board: natural cork that is left unprinted.

This page covers the vocabulary, so you can tell which product a listing is describing.

One note on cost: cork boards carry 5% GST instead of 18%, so once tax is included the two cost about the same, even though cork's pre-tax rate is higher. At the smallest listed size, 12 x 12 inches, the pin board is ₹590 and the cork board ₹630, both with GST.

Pin board and cork board: price at the same size

Rate-card prices with GST for eight sizes both boards come in. Pin boards carry 18% GST and cork boards 5%.

Pin board and cork board rate-card prices with GST, same sizes
Size (inches)	Pin board, with 18% GST	Cork board, with 5% GST
12 x 12	₹590	₹630
12 x 18	₹841	₹866
16 x 20	₹1,180	₹1,167
18 x 24	₹1,593	₹1,575
24 x 36	₹3,186	₹3,150
30 x 40	₹5,408	₹5,250
36 x 48	₹7,788	₹7,560
48 x 60	₹14,160	₹14,700

Both boards are listed in 18 sizes. The studio shows the live price for your exact size.

Which name to search for

Want a picture, school theme or company logo on the board? Search for a printed pin board or a custom soft board.
Want the classic brown texture? Search for a cork board; it is the one term that names the material.
Buying for a classroom or corridor? Notice board or display board will bring up larger sizes.
Buying from a US or UK website? Try tack board or pinboard.

Businesses buying in volume can also look at the boards range and the catalogues on our private-label site.

Common mix-ups

Expecting a cork board to carry a print. Ours is natural cork; for artwork, choose the printed pin board. Every printed board is made from the design you make in our studio: you design and preview it before ordering, and we print exactly that.
Expecting to write on a soft board. Soft boards and cork take pins, not markers. For writing, look at a magnetic writing board or a non-magnetic writing board, each of which also comes with glass on top. They are compared in our writing board guide.
Assuming soft means flimsy. The word describes the pinning surface. Ours sit on a rigid base and carry a polystyrene frame.
Ordering by the name, not the size. Measure the wall and mark the outline with masking tape first; made-to-order boards cannot be exchanged for another size. The studio opens in inches and also accepts centimetres and millimetres.

Both pinning boards come in 18 listed sizes from 12 x 12 to 48 x 60 inches, and custom sizes are priced by area. Most orders dispatch in 4-7 business days; transit typically 3-7 working days.

Questions people ask

Is a soft board the same as a cork board?

Not always. Soft board describes any board you can push pins into, whatever its surface. A cork board is one specific kind, with a cork surface. Many soft boards in Indian shops are foam, fibre board or fabric-covered instead. Ask what the surface is made of before you buy, rather than relying on the name.

What is a tack board?

Tack board, or tackboard, is the American name for a pinning board, taken from thumbtacks, the US word for drawing pins. It means the same as a soft board or pin board in India. If you are reading a product description written for the US market, tack board and bulletin board are the terms you will see.

Which pins work on a soft board?

Ordinary drawing pins and push-pins with plastic heads work on both our pin board and our cork board. Map pins are handy for small notes and maps. Avoid nails or very long pins, and do not hammer anything into the board, because that can damage the base and leave larger holes in the surface.

Is a soft board suitable for a school classroom?

Yes. A printed pin board works well in classrooms because the background can show the subject, class name or a theme for the term, while children pin their work on top. Larger listed sizes such as 36 x 48 or 48 x 60 inches suit a classroom wall. Measure the wall before ordering.

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Compare prices

Cork, pin and writing boards: price per square inch compared