High speed coating starts for multiple layer coatings using a temporary top coat

A method for applying multiple layers of coating liquids to a moving support comprising:

• moving a support along a path through a coating zone;
• forming one or more layers of coating liquids to form a liquid coating composition by exiting coating liquid from one or more outlets of a slide hopper;
• applying said one or more layers of coating liquids, including an actual top coat layer, which layer is applied through starting and steady state coating operations and is the layer beneath a staring topmost layer before contacting the web and becomes the actual topmost layer at steady state;
• applying a starting topmost layer of coating liquid to the liquid coating composition, said starting topmost layer having a lower viscosity in a transition region between slide and support than said actual top coat layer, said starting topmost layer being applied either through a first outlet located farthest from the lip of the hopper or through a metering device located between the first outlet and coating zone where the coating impinges the support after it leaves the hopper;
• applying the coating composition and starting topmost layer as a staring coating;
• and
• terminating the application of the starting topmost layer but continuing the application of the remaining layers when the coating operation is at steady state where the layer thickness coated on the support remains constant with time.