Under the protection of the Mito clan, it was highly rated as a special product of Hitachi Province during the Edo period, and in the "nihon sangai meibutsu zue" (a guidebook for special products, consisting of pictures and explanations for them) the Nishinouchi-gami was regarded as the best paper during the Edo period as well as Echizen hosho, Mino naoshi-gami (high quality paper made in Mino Province) and Iwakuni hanshi (paper made in Iwakuni, Suo Province).
水戸藩の保護の下、常陸特産の紙として江戸時代には高い評価を受け、『日本山海名物図絵』には、越前奉書・美濃直紙・岩国半紙と並んで、西の内紙は江戸期の最上品の紙とされている。