A patterned layer is intended to be used in an absorbent article, and has a pattern, for example in the form of a text or an image, which appears clearly legible or interpretable for an observer at a certain distance. The pattern can be formed by a number of dots which, when the layer is in a first state, have a first surface density which forms the legible or interpretable pattern and which, when the layer is in a second and then expanded state, have a second surface density which is lower than the first surface density in the first state, the pattern becoming in the second state essentially illegible or uninterpretable for the observer at the given distance on account of the lower surface density.