Heat Transfers or Digital Transfers are basically designs printed out on a specialty paper that allows you to create as little as a one t-shirt via a standard desktop inkjet or laser printer. the transfer paper is covered with a polymer (AKA adhesive) that glues the ink to the top of the shirt and leaves a “hand” where it is applied. The hand is the plastic feel you might find on a design. You can easily tell a t-shirt made with this method because the designs are usually clearly defined rectangles on the front. New transfer papers have been released that minimize the window but the technology remains fundamentally the same.