Legend has it that Li Tinggui's inks were so extraordinarily rare that "gold itself was easier to come by." Li's recipe called for one catty of pine soot, three measures of powdered pearl, and one measure each of ground jade and Borneo camphor. These ingredients were mixed with varnish, then pounded 10,000 times.
據說李廷珪的墨名貴非凡，所謂「黃金易得，李墨難求」，其原料取材包括：松煙一斤，珠粉三兩，玉屑、龍腦各一兩，然後和以生漆，搗十萬杵。