In general, cast-coated papers combine a superior flat surface with excellent ink receptivity, making them the best of printing surfaces for all printing processes. Both cotton and wood fibers contain mostly cellulose. Clay is used as both a filler and a coating ingredient. By adding clay, papermakers can improve a paper's smoothness, brightness, opacity, and affinity for ink. The coating may be added while the paper is still moving through the papermaking machine, or after it comes off the machine.
Coated papers are available in a variety of finishes, including gloss, dull, and matte.
It is intended to coordinate colors across a variety of surfaces and materials and to reduce metamerism. Technological advances in this area take place continuously. Continuous tone images have not been screened and contain gradient tones from black to white. Extreme lights and darks give an image high contrast. An image with a narrow tonal range has lower contrast.