We demonstrate a method to fabricate microscopic topographic patterns over a large area. The idea is based on anisotropic dewetting of a previously rubbed polymer film. Two types of patterns are demonstrated. One contains well aligned parallel micro-grooves with widths and separations of about 1 mu m. The other contains striped domains of micro-grooves oriented,parallel and orthogonal to the stripes in alternation. Although the pattern formation had been demonstrated on 2 X 2 cm(2) substrates, this method is scalable to any substrate size and could offer an attractive low-cost alternative to photolithography and soft lithography in very large area applications. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.