Patent ID: 7972658

Claim:
A method for providing a base sample that is subsequently coated with a coating wherein a quality of the coating is improved by controlling sample characteristics in the base sample that comprises the steps of: providing a sample from a manufacturing device wherein the sample is a web of uncoated paper with one or more sample characteristics including at least porosity and permeability associated with one or more coating characteristics that are selected from the group consisting of coating weight, coating gloss, coating smoothness, color of the coated sample, printability of the coated sample, and wettability of the coated sample; determining one or more sample characteristics, consisting essentially of the porosity, permeability, or both porosity and permeability of the sample, as the sample exits the manufacturing device, with a sample sensor; employing a manufacturing controller to control the manufacturing device and to adjust the porosity, permeability, or both porosity and permeability of a sample provided by the manufacturing device based on the determined one or more sample characteristics consisting essentially of the porosity, permeability, or both porosity and permeability of the sample exiting the manufacturing device such that subsequent coatings on the sample will achieve a desired quality with respect to the one or more coating characteristics; providing a coating with a coating device onto the sample with the one or more sample characteristics to produce a coated sample; determining the one or more coating characteristics of the coated sample as the coated sample exits the coating device with a coating sensor; and employing a coating controller to control the coating device and to adjust the one or more characteristics of the coating provided by the coating device based on the determined one or more coating characteristics as the coated sample exits the coating device such that operation of the coating device in coating the sample compensates for variations in the porosity, permeability, or both porosity and permeability of the sample as measured when the sample exited the manufacturing device.