Patent ID: 7608660

Claim:
A method of coating a paper article comprising the steps of: (1) preparing a high-solids paper coating composition having an aqueous phase, by adding to water, as a dry solid component, a copolymer comprising units of vinyl alcohol, alkyl acrylate, itaconic acid and optionally vinyl acetate, said copolymer comprising i) less than about 5 mol % vinyl acetate units; (ii) about 1 mol % to about 9 mol % itaconic acid units: (iii) at least about 90 mol % vinyl alcohol units and (iv) about 1 mol % to about 9 mol % alkyl acrylate units; thereby forming a paper coating composition wherein said copolymer is completely dissolved in said aqueous phase of the paper coating composition and wherein the amount of water present in said aqueous phase is such that the concentration of water in the paper coating composition is less than 40% by weight, based on the total weight of the paper coating composition and (2) applying the paper coating composition to the surface of a paper article.