Abstract: A paper and paperboard material comprising a paper or paperboard substrate, a basecoat layer on at least one surface of substrate and topcoat on a surface of the basecoat, said topcoat comprising one or more pigments dispersed in one or more binders and said basecoat comprising low density thermoplastic particles dispersed in one or more binders. The basecoat is compressible which reduces back trap print mottle in offset printed images.

Abstract: A method comprising: (I) providing a composition; (II) applying the composition to a paper substrate; and (III) forming a paper coating on the paper substrate; wherein the composition comprises a blend of polymers, wherein the blend of polymers comprises a vinyl aromatic-acrylic polymer and a vinyl aromatic-diene polymer, wherein the vinyl aromatic-acrylic polymer comprises a reaction product of vinyl aromatic and an alkyl (meth)acrylate, and the vinyl aromatic-diene polymer comprises a reaction product of vinyl aromatic and a conjugated diene, wherein, based on a solids weight of all polymers in the blend of polymers, the vinyl aromatic-acrylic polymer is present in the blend of polymers in an amount from 50% to about 95% and the vinyl aromatic-diene polymer is present in an amount from about 5% to 50%.