Method for making shaped nonwoven fabric

Process for making a nonwoven fabric comprising the steps of:

• a. melt-spinning continuous polymeric filaments;
• b. drawing the continuous filaments;
• c. quenching the filaments;
• d. thereafter collecting the drawn filaments on a moving surface to form a nonwoven fabric web of continuous filaments, the forming surface being at least partially foraminous and having an array of discrete surface features including recesses;
• e. concurrently with collecting the drawn filaments on the forming surface, forcing air through the filaments and the forming surface to arrange the filaments such that the web has an array of surface features resulting in a variance in basis weight across the web and comprising projections corresponding to said forming surface recesses separated by land areas wherein said web projections have a basis weight at least about 30% greater than said land areas, are substantially filled with continuous filaments and have cross-sectional areas having a minimum dimension of at least about 0.03 inch between adjacent land areas;
• f. bonding together the filaments of the web with an adhesive component to integrate the web without the application of bonding pressure;
• and
• g. separating the web from the forming surface.