Basecoat composition and associated paperboard structure
A paperboard structure including a paperboard substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface and a basecoat applied to the first major surface and/or the second major surface, the basecoat including a pigment component, the pigment component including all pigments in the basecoat, wherein the pigment component has a median particle size between about 3 and about 8 micrometers, and wherein at most about 15 percent by weight of the pigment component has a particle size smaller than 1 micrometer.
1. A paperboard structure comprising:
a paperboard substrate comprising
a first major surface and
a second major surface; and
a basecoat applied to at least one of said first major surface and said second major surface, said basecoat comprising
a pigment component, said pigment component comprising all pigments in said basecoat,
wherein said pigment component has a median particle size between about 3 and about 8 micrometers, and
wherein at most about 15 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size smaller than 1 micrometer, and
wherein at most about 20 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size greater than 8 microns.
2. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said paperboard substrate has a basis weight of at least 85 pounds per 3000 ft.sup.2.
3. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said basecoat is applied at a coat weight of at most about 9 pounds per 3000 ft.sup.2.
4. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said basecoat is applied at a coat weight of at most about 8 pounds per 3000 ft.sup.2.
5. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said basecoat further comprises at least one of a binder and a thickener.
6. The paperboard structure of claim 1 further comprising a top coat positioned over said basecoat to form a top-coated paperboard structure having an outermost coating surface.
7. The paperboard structure of claim 6 wherein said outermost coating surface has a first Parker Print Surf smoothness (PPS 10S), wherein said outermost coating surface would have a second Parker Print Surf smoothness if, all else being substantially the same, said pigment component were entirely comprised of ground calcium carbonate having a particle size distribution such that at most about 60 percent by weight of said ground calcium carbonate has a particle size smaller than 2 microns, and wherein said first Parker Print Surf smoothness is at least 0.3 microns less than said second Parker Print Surf smoothness.
8. The paperboard structure of claim 6 wherein said outermost coating surface has a Parker Print Surf smoothness (PPS 10S) of at most about 3 microns.
9. The paperboard structure of claim 8 wherein said Parker Print Surf smoothness (PPS 10S) is at most about 2 microns.
10. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said median particle size is between about 3 and about 7 micrometers.
11. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said median particle size is between about 3 and about 6 micrometers.
12. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said median particle size is between about 4 and about 5 micrometers.
13. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein at most about 14 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size smaller than 1 micrometer.
14. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein at most about 13 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size smaller than 1 micrometer.
15. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein at most about 12 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size smaller than 1 micrometer.
16. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein at most about 11 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size smaller than 1 micrometer.
17. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein at most about 10 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size smaller than 1 micrometer.
18. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein at most about 15 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size greater than 8 micrometers.
19. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein at most about 10 percent by weight of said pigment component has a particle size greater than 8 micrometers.
20. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said pigment component has a steepness index of at most about 1.3.
21. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said pigment component has a steepness index of at most about 1.2.
22. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said pigment component has a steepness index of at most about 1.1.
23. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said pigment component has a steepness index of at most about 1.0.
24. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said pigment component comprises calcium carbonate.
25. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said pigment component comprises precipitated calcium carbonate.
26. The paperboard structure of claim 25 wherein said precipitated calcium carbonate comprises at least 50 percent by weight of said pigment component.
27. The paperboard structure of claim 25 wherein said precipitated calcium carbonate comprises at least 70 percent by weight of said pigment component.
28. The paperboard structure of claim 25 wherein said precipitated calcium carbonate comprises at least 80 percent by weight of said pigment component.
29. The paperboard structure of claim 25 wherein said pigment component consists essentially of said precipitated calcium carbonate.
30. The paperboard structure of claim 25 wherein said pigment component further comprises ground calcium carbonate.
31. The paperboard structure of claim 30 wherein said ground calcium carbonate comprises at most 40 percent by weight of said pigment component.
32. The paperboard structure of claim 30 wherein said ground calcium carbonate comprises at most 20 percent by weight of said pigment component.
33. The paperboard structure of claim 25 wherein said pigment component further comprises clay.
34. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said pigment component comprises a blend of pigments.
35. The paperboard structure of claim 1 wherein said pigment component consists essentially of inorganic pigments.
36. The paperboard structure of claim 1 with the proviso that said pigment component is substantially free of platy pigments.