A process for manufacturing decorative papers and/or panels for flooring or surfacing of furniture, wall, finish foils, filter papers or kraft papers for low and high pressure use etc., in which a substantially dry solid composition is prepared in powder form, having a polymer component containing aminopiasts (amino resins) and/or phenoplasts (phenolic resins) and/or mixtures in powder form, used as such and/or mixed with additives; the composition is then applied dry on a support in powder form and is heated after being deposited onto the support to melt the composition and form a coating polymer layer onto the support; the composition may instead be heated first to be molten before and then applied in a fluid form onto the support.