Properties of the point-bonded nonwoven fabrics are dependent on the bonding conditions, in addition to those of the polymer/fiber. Thermally bonded carded webs were produced and characterized to investigate the role of bond area, bond size, and bonding temperature on the structure and properties of point-bonded nonwoven fabrics. It was observed that the bond strength increases with bond area and bond size. The effects of bond area and bond size on fiber morphology were negligible. Significant morphological differences were observed in the bonded and the unbonded regions of the thermally bonded webs. To see how the staple fiber studies relate to the behavior of continuous filaments, similar sets of samples were produced and characterized by using the spunbond system. The observed trends for properties with respect to bonding conditions were similar for spunbond samples. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.