Sublimation paper vs transfer paper — what's actually different?

These two products get confused constantly. They are not the same thing.

Also known as: dog leash sleeve, personalized dog leash, custom dog leash, leash cover, lead wrap. Lead Sleeve ships worldwide — UK, US, EU, Canada, Australia, Asia, LATAM.

Sublimation paper

• Holds sublimation ink until heat turns the ink into gas.
• Bonds dye directly into polyester fibres — no layer sits on top.
• Result: soft hand-feel, no cracking, no peeling, vivid colour.
• Only works on polyester (or polyester-coated) substrates.

Heat transfer paper

• Holds regular pigment ink (or laser toner) plus a polymer layer.
• Press transfers the layer itself onto the fabric.
• Result: a slightly raised film that can crack and peel over time.
• Works on cotton, blends, and dark fabrics with the right variant.

Which one for dog products?

Almost always sublimation, if your blank supports it. On a daily-use product like a leash sleeve, sublimation's durability is the whole point. Heat transfer is a fallback for cotton bandanas where sublimation isn't an option — but it won't last as long.

Common mistakes

• Loading sublimation paper into a non-sublimation printer (the ink won't gas out).
• Pressing sublimation paper onto cotton (no polyester = blank result).
• Using heat transfer paper on polyester at high temps (the polymer film yellows).

If your range is built on polyester blanks like the Lead Sleeve, stay in the sublimation lane.