voids or depressions are in a pattern consistent with and in register with the tufting needle pattern to be used when the finished web is subsequently tufted in a future carpet manufacturing operation preferably the removal of excess binder and the application of holes or voids in the web occur simultaneously for example by feeding the web through a set of rollers one having a smooth face and the other having a surface with raised protrusions of a predetermined height size and pattern any commercially available embossing apparatus may be employed to apply the voids dimples holes or depressions engraved heated rollers are particularly suitable the effect of this step is to provide a nonwoven web having little or no binder in the holes or depressions and having a hole which is smaller than the tufting needle containing the face yarn energy created when the hole is stretched during the tufting operation is in effect stored in the elastic binder which has been squeezed from the depression and surrounds the hole when the needle retracts the stored energy is released causing the stretched fabric around the hole to relax and hold the tuft firmly in place following the treatment to apply voids or holes in the binder treated fabric the binder is allowed to cure preferably the treated fabric is routed over drum heaters at a temperature high enough to dry the fabric and cure the binder without softening the fibers or changing the heat set of the fibers the drying and curing operation provides additional bonding at filament junctions and endows the fabric with elastomeric properties a range.