Atmospheric plasma technology was utilized in order to modify surface characteristics of base paper for coating. Argon(Ar) and oxygen(O2) gases were used. It was found that contact angle of a water droplet was decreased with increasing voltage during plasma treatment, meaning that the hydrophilicity of paper surface was increased. On the other hand, the physical properties like roughness and optical properties such as gloss, brightness and opacity were not influenced by the plasma treatment. In conclusion, atmospheric plasma technology can be utilized to control hydrophilicity of paper surface without affecting physical properties of the paper.