Magnetization reversal and the effect of patterning have been investigated in full-film and dotarrays of Co/Pd multilayers, using the first-order reversal curve and scanning electron microscopywith polarization analysis techniques. The effect of patterning is most pronounced in lowsputtering pressure films, where the size of contiguous domains is larger than the dot size. Uponpatterning, each dot must have its own domain nucleation site and domain propagation is limitedwithin the dot. In graded anisotropy samples, the magnetically soft layer facilitates themagnetization reversal, once the reverse domains have nucleated.