In fact both the Li Ting Gui and Royal ink are made with premium oil soot. Oil soot is the type for calligraphy. Therefore, both are proper choices for professional calligraphy works. The Old Hu Kai Wen also categorised these two in the same group. The Li Ting Gui is a famous ancient oil soot recipe and it is named after the person who created this recipe. Its features have also been used for long as criteria to decide the inkstick’s grade. The Royal ink was in fact a special recipe for royal family. Old Hu Kai Wen was a royal warrant supply in Qing Dynasty. I think considering the strict rules for products supplied for royals, it should be a top inkstick too. Again, the difference is between the recipes but the recipes are confidential. 🙁 Unlike western art materials, fine Chinese art materials are difficult to mark the components, ingredients because most of them are secrets. For example, some of the top seal paste recipe is even marked as State Confidential Document. Of course, our inkston Xuan papers are also made with our own recipes. 🙂 Therefore, for the papers, we can mark some basic information.
李廷珪宝墨 Premium Li Ting Gui Precious Oil Soot Black Inkstick
贡墨 Premium Royal Oil Soot Black Inkstick