It has to do with the way they are manufactured. With Direct Pressure Laminates (DPL), all of the layers (wear, image, core, balancing) are bonded together simultaneously under high pressure and heat. High Pressure Laminates (HPL), by contrast, are created in stages. Usually this means the image and wear layer are bonded together. Once bonded those two layers are then bonded to the core in a separate step.

High pressure laminates are said to have better wear and impact resistance as well as better design clarity.