uniformity to the web a microcreper with a grooved retarder sheet according to the invention generally causes the web to compact longitudinally and regain some of its lateral width and allows much of the non uniform deformation to even out across the length and width of the web without deforming the web into a parallelogram further the described retarder surfaces allow this evening out to occur in spite of the unevenness of the yarn etc for instance a grooveless plasma coated retarder sheet has been found to produce streaks in the web where irregularities in the web are retarded differentially and unevenly stretch the web the retarder sheets of the invention with biased grooves and a grooved reorienting retarding surface result in webs with especially desireable properties apparently because the diagonal ridges and grooves function as small compaction zones each ridge tends to isolate irregularities in one groove 39 s compaction zone from the next groove 39 s zone also the web receives multiple compressive treatments as it is driven under multiple grooves and ridges before it leaves the retarder surface referring again to fig1 e in these three embodiments the web follows the drive roll 100 and is gradually pressed between the roll and the smooth under surface of the primary member 112 into driving engagement with the gripping surface of the roll when the web emerges from under the edge 112 39 of the primary it immediately engages the ridges 202 of the retarding surface or.