The formability difference between good and marginal glass-forming systems is investigated by micro-surface patterning of hierarchical features using thermoplastic net-shaping (TPN). For each alloy, a remarkable change in the flow behaviour is observed as the applied force along with the pressing time and temperature are optimized. The flow kinetics of glassy alloys with different glass-forming abilities is best described by the formability parameter S, which is defined by the ratio of the width of the supercooled to undercooled liquid region (T l - T g)/(T x - T g). Reproducible micro-engineered surfaces with high uniformity can be established by controlled TPN processing.