A process for preparing a sheet with improved stiffness by mixing a fiber, a latex having minimum film forming conditions greater than the conditions the sheet reaches during drying and a fugitive coalescing agent. The mixture is collected and dried under conditions less than the minimum film forming conditions of the latex. The process enables hard latexes to be employed which do not form films under the drying conditions of the sheet whereby the hard latexes can contribute to the stiffness of the final sheet. A sheet prepared by the process is also provided.