Holyoke, Mass. – The cover of the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony yearbook appears electrified, the projection-LED-illuminated nine-story dome lit three-dimensionally on the page. To distinguish its ninth time producing the yearbook cover, Hazen Paper Company used custom holography to illuminate the iconic symbol of the Springfield, Massachusetts Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

According to Don Havourd, Hazen head of new business development, “Brands often come to Hazen to add realism to their marketing efforts. Hazen Holography enabled us to simulate the most iconic imagery of the Hall of Fame – including the brilliant LED lighting of the recently refurbished Hall of Fame dome.” Hazen’s edgeless Hazen-Lens technology was used to create the pulsating play of light, in front of a brilliant radial burst of two-channel holography, which refracts ambient light to generate the impression of movement as the book is opened. In front of the dome, the Basketball Hall of Fame logo is rendered three-dimensional with holography that emphasizes the basketball’s pebbled texture, juxtaposed with the sleek, reflective sphere of the dome.

The back cover also featured a custom hologram to telegraph the excitement of the Mohegan Sun Arena, mimicking the strobe-like effect of lighting washing over the audience in color from the concert stage. Detailed custom holography requires precise registration to deliver a crisp final product through the printing process. The unique Hazen Holography for both sides was registered to a tolerance of 1/16” for near-perfect alignment during printing.

Hazen originated the holography completely within its vertically integrated facility, for superior quality, performance, and efficiency. The custom holograms were created in Hazen’s holographic laser lab, then micro-embossed and transfer-metallized onto smooth,12-point WestRock Crescendo C2S using Hazen’s environmentally friendly Envirofoil process. Envirofoil is manufactured with less than 1% of the aluminum of traditional foil laminate, reuses the film carrier multiple times, and is recyclable as paper.

The yearbook cover was designed by agency GO of Hartford, CT, and printed and individually numbered for authenticity on an HP Indigo digital press by Starburst Printing of Holliston, MA.

Founded in 1925, Hazen Paper Company is an innovative paper converter specializing in holographic origination, film coating, foil and paper lamination, metallizing, gravure printing, specialty coating and rotary embossing to create specialty materials for worldwide use in retail display and POP, luxury, beauty, entertainment and media packaging, bookbinding, scratch-off lottery and other security-related tickets, tags and cards, and fine art applications. Hazen is committed to sustainability, using hydropower produced by the Connecticut River, with certification to supply converted paper and paperboards that are FSC, SFI and PEFC certified.

Hazen was awarded “Product of the Year” in 2018, 2019, and 2020 from AIMCAL, the Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators, and received the “Next Century Award” in 2020 from the Associated Industries of Massachusetts for unique contributions to the Massachusetts economy and the well-being of its residents. For more information, visit www.hazen.com or call 413-538-8204.