Rib and web growth leading to fiber generation and dissipation—to spatter in waterborne latex coatings and to misting in water‐reducible coatings—in roll applications are discussed. The extent of growth and dissipation phenomena are related to the coating's dynamic uniaxial extensional viscosity (DUEV). Complexities in the analysis include limitations in DUEV determinations via the fiber‐suction technique, variations in maximum shear and extension rates in roll application, and the relative contribution of the shear viscosifying component to the magnitude of DUEV data. The extensional behavior of polymer solutions varying in segmental and conformational rigidity are examined as a means of delineating the complexities.