The present invention is drawn to compositions and coated substrates wherein
a back coating layer can be implemented for use to mitigate ink transfer, surface
damage, smudging, and sticking between stacked sheets in output trays of ink-jet
ink printers. Specifically, a coated media sheet can comprise a printing surface
including an ink-receiving coating formulated to accept an ink-jet ink composition,
and an opposing back surface comprising a back coating. The back coating can include
an admixture of 0.5 wt % to 75 wt % of a polymeric binder, 5 wt % to 95 wt % of
filler particulates having an average particle size from about 0.01 m to
about 15 m, and 3 wt % to 90 wt % of spacer particulates having an average
particle size from about 6 m to about 500 m. In one embodiment, the
spacer particulates are larger than the filler particulates.