A statistical design of experiments (DOE) technique has been used to study varying levels of silica gel and polymeric binder in ink jet paper coating formulations. Paper coatings from the DOE showed widely variable print qualities. Computer analyzed image analysis was used to quantify color gamut, linewidth, sharpness, raggedness, bleed, and mottle. Using these data and statistical deconvolution of the DOE response surface, the dependence of each print quality measure on the level of the silica gel in the coating was determined. Generally, higher levels of silica gel result in enhanced print quality, especially in color vividness.