Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)/Laser printer transfer paper
Laser printer transfer paper allows toner to absorb into the surface coating of the paper. The coating acts to shield and later bond the inks to the fabric. Unlike heat transfer vinyl which adheres a single color plastic directly to the fabric, laser transfer paper allows ink to soak into the vinyl before it is transferred to the fabric, allowing for multi-color vinyl transfers in a single layer.
If you want multiple colors of heat transfer vinyl you have to cut each color individually and layer them on top of one another. Laser printer transfer paper allows you to transfer a complex multicolor image in a single pass. Both the HTV and the Laser Printer transfer paper require the use of the heat press in order to adequately transfer the image in a single pass.