ABSTRACT
Before the advent of nonwovens, substrates available for coating and laminated products were woven and knit fabrics made out of spun yarns, mainly of cellulosic base. Properties of such fabrics were sharply defined and limited. They could be varied somewhat by changing the weave pattern, the yarn size, and the weight of the product. As a whole they were thick, had poor tear strength when coated, tended to lint, were uneven, had comparatively rough surfaces, and had holes or voids where the yarns intersected — poor properties when very thin and even coatings were needed.
