Polarized images have been prepared using simple laser-induced melting of aligned nanorods in a polymer film. The technique is easy-to-use, cost-effective, and may be used to render the read-out either legible or illegible (see Figure). The information content could be increased by creating ordered nanoparticles with different angles of polarization, thereby permitting readout from different layers within the film, which might lead to 3D applications.