Use of acrylate-based emulsion copolymer as the sole binder for a paper coating composition

A process for preparing a coated paper product, comprising:

• coating a paper substrate with a composition of a finely divided pigment and a synthetic binder, the sole binder and thickener components of the composition being an emulsion copolymer of (a) from 30 to 80% by weight of at least one C.sub.4 -C.sub.8 alkyl acrylate or a mixture of at least one C.sub.4 -C.sub.8 alkyl acrylate and at least one di-(C.sub.4 -C.sub.8 -alkyl)maleate;
• (b) from 8 to 30% by weight of acrylic acid and/or methacrylic acid;
• (c) from 0 to 50% by weight of vinyl propionate, vinyl acetate, methyl acrylate;
• ethyl acrylate and/or vinyl .alpha.-branched C.sub.10 -monocarboxylate;
• (d) from 0 to 5% by weight of acrylamide, methacrylamide, vinylsulfonic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and/or acrylonitrile and (e) from 0 to 3% by weight of a crosslinking monomer in the form of an aqueous dispersion.