A method of formatting magnetic media includes providing an integrated thin film magnetic recording head having a recording element. The recording element includes first and second magnetically permeable thin film subpole members separated by a substantially low permeability subgap member. An integrated electrically conductive coil structure is embedded in part within the subgap member and in part in-between the first and second subpole members. The recording element also includes a magnetically permeable thin film layer spanning from at least the first subpole member to the second subpole member and including one or more arbitrary recording gap patterns. The direction of film growth of the magnetically permeable thin film layer is substantially orthogonal to the direction of thin film growth of the first and second magnetically permeable thin film subpole members. The method includes passing magnetic media over the magnetic recording head to format the magnetic media.