I am going to make some type of transfers for my twins' cakes (party in one week). One wants a monopoly board and the other wants a guitar hero cake (saw lots of ideas here, you all are great!) I just need some advice after reading a lot about them on this site. First, which is better: frozen buttercream transfer or royal icing transfer? Do I use the color flow mix stuff for both types? If I use crisco based icing can I do a transfer or do I need to use butter? If I use a frozen transfer will it melt once I take it out of the freezer and put it on the cake? Which will type will dry fastest? Look the best?

Thanks for your advice!

You can make three kinds of transfers: frozen buttercream / chocolate / royal icing. There are different problems with each of them.

Royal Icing / Color flow - basically the same. You get hard piece of RI. It could crack. It takes longer than buttercream transfer, you need count the drying time in.

Frozen buttercream / chocolate works similar - you pipe your design, let it set - for frozen buttercream in freezer for chocolate in cool room or fridge. You get "normal" buttercream or chocolate hardness. In very hot temperatures it could melt - the same as other buttercream or chocolate decorations.

I looked at your photos and I didn't see any royal icing decorations. This is a reason why I would say to use frozen buttercream or chocolate transfer. Chocolate transfer could be more forgiving, but you need to start with white chocolate and color it with special colors.
Frozen buttercream should work the same with crisco as with butter.
Once you take it out of the freezer, frozen buttercream will come to its normal consistency - it won't melt, it only gets softer.

The freezing part is there only to help you with your image. With freezing the image you get the possibility
to move the image from the parchment (or plastic) on your cake. No other secret there.

Good luck with your cakes!

I tried the frozen technique with crisco and it did not harden enough for an easy transfer. The butter recipe works best.