A method of coating a substrate (usually paper or fabric) in which the substrate, in the form of a continuos moving web, is coated with a material whose thickness is controlled by an adjustable knife or bar set at a suitable angle to substrate. In the plastics industry PVC formulations are widely used in this work and curing is effected by passing the coated substrate into a special oven, usually heated by infrared lamps or convected air. There are a number of variations of this basic technique and they vary according to the type of product required.