To develop paper coating technology for preventing print mottling, which is recognized as the most common printing problems in using coated papers, ink absorption properties of various coated papers were examined by employing K 8T N and Croda ink absorption tests. The influences of pigment compositions, coat weights and drying methods on these ink absorption properties were examined, and then the variations of ink absorption ratio were analyzed and discussed. It is demonstrated that the variation of Croda ink absorption ratio induced by coat weight variation can be utilized most succesfully to predict print mottling propensity of coating formulations. A systematic analysis approach was suggested that can be employed in the development of the most desirable coating color formulation to achieve target optical properties with the least print mottling.