Disclosed herein is a dry, self-supporting fibrous material, the fibers of which have been treated with a binder composition. The fibrous material can be slit into tapes or tows that are suitable for use in an Automated Tape Laying (ATL) or Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) process. This fibrous material is suitable for forming preforms which are configured to receive a matrix resin by resin infusion in the manufacturing of structural composite parts.