Inkston uses the classification of the Old Hu Kai Wen workshop to categorize over 80 inksticks into these main groups.
| Type | Matt | Deep | Glossy | Greenish Black |
| Collectable | Extra Fine Pine Soot | Famous Artist Traditional Oil Soot Traditional Sets |
Premium Tung | |
| Premium | Premium Pine Soot | Super-Fine Oil Soot | Royal Warrant | |
| Professional | Pine Soot | Jin Bu Yi and Fine Oil Soot | Super Turpentine | Qing Natural Black |
| Student | Quan Soot | Jing Soot |
- Collectable includes special and historical formulas and decorations which will be of interest to collectors
- Premium is the very finest handmade materials and processing
- Professional range are handmade inksticks preferred by professionals
- Student ranges use industrially manufactured soot to provide a lower cost alternative. These inks may be considered less expressive than the professional ranges, however they may still give a better effect than liquid inks and provide a very economical ink for practice.
The Collectable and Premium are the most costly per gram, however since they are often sold in small sticks it can still be affordable to try a good quality ink.
Matt pine soot inks are often preferred for painting, both for the ability to express depth and space in Shanshui landscape painting and the detail such as hairs on portrait paintings. Glossier inks are often preferred for calligraphy, however Pine soot is also used to mimic ancient calligraphy styles such as Wei Bei (魏碑) Style tablet inscriptions from Northern Dynasties (386-581), Cliff inscriptions摩崖石刻 etc
油烟墨 (Youyan Mo) Deep Black (Oil Soot)
Oil soot black inks are good for both calligraphy and painting, the black is deep, sophisticated, bright while not overwhelming. High grade inks may have added aromatic oils such as musk and borneol, Chinese medicinal ingredients or gold leaf. The groups of oil soot black inks are:
超细油烟墨 Chaoxi Super-fine Oil Soot Black (Premium range): the top-of-the-range examples of the main types
高级油烟墨 Gaoji Fine Oil Soot Black
中国名画家墨古法油烟 Famous Artist Oil Soot Black (formulations created for famous artists)
古法油烟 Traditional Oil Soot Black
Since Qing dynasty inkstick producers began making copies of famous inksticks with elaborate decorations.
青墨 Qing Natural Black
净烟 Jing Soot
Jing Soot is made from industrially produced oil soot, so provides a value alternative oil soot inkstick.
Super Glossy Black
Glossy blacks were invented in Song dynasty by adding Turpentine, and later by using Tung oil. Tung and Turpentine inksticks are very black, glossy, and long-lasting and most suitable for painting.
超漆烟 Chaoqi Turpentine “super lacquer” Glossy Black
An oil soot ink which is very black and glossy due to added turpentine.
五石漆烟/贡烟 Five Stones Turpentine/ Royal Warrant Black
This is a premium level glossy Turpentine black with additional ingredients originally commisioned for the imperial household.
桐油烟 Tung Oil Glossy Black
Made from Tung instead of Pine to give a glossy black finish.
松烟 Pine Soot
Pine soot is a very ancient type of carbon black inkstick produced from soot from charred pine tree roots with a very rich natural matt dark colour. It is very soluble in water and highly recommended for paintings, for example for fine hair effects.
全烟 Quan Soot
Quan Soot black is soft and deep, matt and not glossy. It is made from industrially produced soot to give the effect of pine soot at lower cost. Recommended for students and for use together with oil soot inksticks to create different black effects.
仿古墨 Traditional Inksticks Sets
Sets of inksticks with traditional decoration.
彩墨 Colour Inksticks
Sets of natural stone colours and individual stick of precious colours such as Cinnabar and Pearl. See traditional handmade inksticks for details of traditional colour ink recipes.
More about Ink
Inkstick Shop
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Deep black (油烟墨 Youyan Mo oil soot) (48)
Premium black China inksticks are made from oil soot, as may also be known in English as lampblack. Oil soot black inks are recommended for both calligraphy and painting. The type of black is deep, sophisticated, bright while not overwhelming. All types of oil soot inksticks are made with very similar raw materials. High grade inks may have added aromatic oils… Deep black (油烟墨 Youyan Mo oil soot) (48)
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Matt black (松烟 Song Yan pine soot) (27)
松烟 (Song Yan) Pine Soot is a very ancient type of carbon black inkstick with very rich natural matt dark colour, preferred for painting, both for to express depth and space in Shanshui landscape painting and detail such as hairs on portrait paintings. Pine soot is also used to mimic ancient calligraphy styles. Matt black (松烟 Song Yan pine soot) (27)
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Premium Ink range (18)
The premium ink range includes the finest inks of the different types, many made with precious ingredients and famous recipes. Premium Ink range (18)
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Super Glossy black (Tung/Turpentine) (19)
Glossy blacks were invented in Song dynasty by adding Turpentine, and later by using Tung oil. Tung and Turpentine inksticks are very black, glossy, and long-lasting and most suitable for painting. Super Glossy black (Tung/Turpentine) (19)
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仿古墨 Fanggu Mo Traditional Black Inksticks Collection (8)
仿古墨 Fanggu Mo sets of inksticks with traditional decoration. 仿古墨 Fanggu Mo Traditional Black Inksticks Collection (8)
[…] explain the history of the Old Hu Kai Wen workshop and their Li Ting Gui inksticks. See also the Buyer’s Guide to over 80 varieties of ink from Old Hu Kai Wen, inkston introduction to chinese ink and some dramatic pictures from the Old […]
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Producto noble y de calidad excepcional. La barra de tinta tiene un rendimiento casi eterno, en mi caso al menos, que la utilizo como acuarela. El aroma a resinas y a pino convierten la acción artística en un goce añadido. Excelente manufactura . Compra obligada para los amantes de las tintas en general y de la caligrafia oriental en particular.
Otra maravilla del viejo taller de Old Hu Kai Wen. Producto de gran rendimiento y belleza en su manufactura, artesanal de principio a fin. La selección que ofrece INKSTON en este apartado en particular, el de las barras de tinta, es excepcional en todas y cada una de sus referencias. Amazon imbatible en su servicio de entrega en 24 hr. Agradecido a ambos.
[…] Inksticks Buyer Guide […]
The ink stick is excellent in quality. I wish my painting was as good as the ink stick lol.
[…] Inksticks Buyer Guide […]
Very good article, a lot of information is in it :-).
In the examples of Pine soot ink sticks, there are some ink sticks that do not belong there. Can you sort them out please?
thanks for letting us know, I’ve fixed that part up a bit, the Pine Soot was including the Quan Soot which are also listed separately.
Great that you have fixed it :-). By the way, I really like the cats, meow ;-).
I read that some manufacturers mark the quality of their ink sticks with numbers and I wonder how the ink sticks of Old Hu Kai wen are to be classified.
Can you help me please?
There are numbers from 101 to 107 I think.
I wonder what numbers student, professional, premium and collectible have?
Kind regards
AskiaLuna