Holyoke, Massachusetts-based Hazen Paper Company’s cover for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Book was awarded Best Applied Decorative/Packaging Product in the Excellence in Holography Awards from the International Hologram Manufacturers Association.

The cover was created using Hazen Paper Company’ HoloJet^® paper, projecting an amplified refractive three-dimensional image of a basketball symbolizing the Hall of Fame Dome. The cover includes Fresnel Lens technology and a new holographic element that Hazen calls “Metal-Morphosis^™,” which utilizes a new deep-groove system for sharper images and greater dimensionality. Appearing to move and change with the angle of light, the holographic treatment induces engagement and interaction with the book.

The custom holograms were created at Hazen’s US holographic laser lab, then micro-embossed and transfer-metallized onto smooth, 12-point WestRock Tango C2S using Hazen’s environmentally friendly Envirofoil^® and HoloJet^® process. The holography is created with an optical structure that is imparted on the surface of the paper (underneath the printed graphics) with an ultra-thin polymer layer that is less than 2 microns in thickness. Envirofoil is a non-plastic paper that is recyclable as paper.

The Excellence in Holography awards come as the sector continues to see achievement during challenging economic times, marking the pinnacle of success for those at the forefront of developing innovative or commercially viable holography products or techniques in the last 12 months.