A method of blowing drying gas against a paper web, and an impingement dryer of a paper machine. Drying gas is blown with an impingement dryer comprising several profiling chambers in the cross-direction of a paper machine, the cross-profile of the paper web being controlled with the drying gas blown from the profiling chambers. Each profiling chamber blows drying gas to its own effect range. The impingement dryer further comprises a return air chamber and return air ducts such that drying gas blown against the paper web from the profiling chambers is returned into the return air chamber through the return air ducts in such a way that some of the effect of the drying gas blown from the profiling chamber is at least partly prevented from reaching the effective area of the adjacent profiling chamber.