In the beginning of the 19th century, demand for paper rose rapidly. The ability to read increased among the general population, creating a greater market for books and newspapers. As a consequence, paper manufacture was resumed at Holmen when a new hand paper mill was built in 1806. The mill produced writing and printing paper and the product range consisted of a whole 24 different types of paper.
In 1836, Holmen bought the first mechanical paper machine from the British machine company Bryan Donkin & Co. The mechanization of the production process had miraculous effects on efficiency. The production output tripled in the first year and after two more years production had increased more than fivefold.