Coated printable substrates providing higher print quality and resolution at lower ink usage

A method comprising the following steps:

• (a) providing a paper substrate having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the paper substrate has a Hercules Sizing Test (HST) value of up to about 50 seconds as measured using the procedure of TAPPI standard method T-530 pm-89;
• and
• (b) treating at least one of the first and second surfaces with a water-swellable substrate coating to provide a printable substrate, wherein the substrate coating has a thickness of less than about 10 microns and provides an ink-receptive porous surface, and wherein the substrate coating comprises:
• a water-swellable coating pigment binder matrix, wherein the binder matrix comprises a water-soluble polymer binder and a polymer latex binder in a weight ratio of at least about 1:1 and which have been crosslinked;
• and
• an amount of a coating pigment sufficient to impart a Parker Print Smoothness value as measured by TAPPi test method T-555 om-99 of at least about 4 to the at least one of the first and second surfaces, wherein the coating pigment is dispersed in the binder matrix in a coating pigment to binder matrix weight ratio of at least about 2:1, and wherein the coating pigment comprises:
• larger porous coating pigment particles having a particle size above about 1 micron and an effective pore volume of at least about 0.1 cc/gm;
• and
• smaller coating pigment particles having a particle size of about 1 micron or less;
• wherein the larger porous coating pigment particles to smaller coating pigment particles are in a weight ratio of at least about 0.2:1.