Coated paper

Coated paper is paper which has been coated by a compound or polymer to impart certain qualities to the paper, including weight, surface gloss, smoothness or reduced ink absorbency. Kaolinite, calcium carbonate, Bentonite, talc... are used to coat paper for high quality printing used in packaging industry and in magazines. The chalk or china clay is bound to the paper with synthetic viscofiers, such as styrene-butadiene latexes and natural organic binders such as starch. The coating formulation may also contain chemical additives as dispersants, resins, PE: to give water resistance and wet strength to the paper, or to protect against ultraviolet radiation.

Varieties

Machine-finished coated paper

Machine-finished coated paper (MFC) has a basis weight of 48–80 g/m². They have good surface properties, high print gloss and adequate sheet stiffness. MFC papers are made of 60–85% groundwood or TMP and 15–40% chemical pulp with a total pigment content of 20–30%. The paper can be soft nip calendered or supercalendered. These are often used in paperbacks.