On-machine coater

An on-machine coater, comprising:

• a size press including a pair of rollers, said size press arranged such that a straight line connecting a center line of said pair of rollers provided about a continuously diagonally downward-moving web is essentially orthogonal to said web, said size press used to coat two surfaces of said web;
• an air turn arranged diagonally downward on a downstream side of said size press, said air turn used to change a direction of movement of said web without contacting said web using an air film formed between said air turn and said moving web;
• a post-metering style of coater arranged in a downstream side of said air turn, said coater used to coat a lower surface of said web;
• and
• a plurality of non-contact dryers arranged above said coater, said plurality of non-contact dryers used to dry said web following coating, a coating performed using said size press constituting an alternative to a coating performed using said post-metering style of coater, said two surfaces of said web, when said coating is performed using said size press, being dried by a pair of said plurality of non-contact dryers opposingly provided on said downstream side of said air turn about said web which is diagonally upwardly-moving, one dryer of said pair of said plurality of non-contact dryers, when said coating is performed using said post-metering style of coater, being used to dry a lower surface side of said web, said one dryer being moved in such a way as to oppose said lower surface side of said web which, beyond said coater, moves upward.