The history of true paper happened in what is now the People's Republic of China. Like the indigenous people of Egypt, the Chinese had, nearly 50 centuries ago, invented a style of writing that used images. They also had been making use of many different kinds of objects to write on, most usually strips of bamboo and processed silk and possibly the barkcloth they utilized for other uses derived out of the Paper. Mulberry was made use of also.
Legend points to the fact that in 105 years after the birth of Christ a member of the government named Tsai Lung, created papyrus, although it is clear from archaeological finds that it was actually being used in South East Asia for probably two centuries prior to him.
Back in ancient times writing was usually on some form of bamboo or occasionally on lengths of silk, which were known as Ji then. But the soaring cost of silk and bamboo being very heavy, these two materials were inconvenient. About this time Tsai Lun came up with the idea of utilizing tree bark, hemp, rags, and fish nets. In 105AD he made a report to the emperor about the process of paper manufacture and received much praise for his ideas. Since that time paper has been availed of all over the world and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this historical reference is relevant, will very likely not ever be known! However, the important factor must be that it was discovered that they could grind some plant-derived compounds into a grume, abolish impurities, float the grume in water, filter it out onto fabric sheets and allow it to dry. When fully dried, it consolidated into a firm, firm sheet that was surprisingly light, and provided that it did not get damp or wet, proved decidedly robust.
It's a fact that this very straightforward of paper making technologies is even now in use in exactly the same way in Tibet and Nepal, the first places to learn the technolgies from China. A simple frame makes use of a cloth manufactured from cotton stretched over one side, watery mache is situated in to the far side and spread around until it has reached a level. After which it is suspended in order for it to enable the liquid to drain out of it and the pulp to dry into a sheet of parchment which may be stripped off.
At some stage a very talented individual worked out that building a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and putting in place a fine removable bamboo mat over it, would let the paper-making procedure to be accelerated greatly. Rather than using one mold for every parchment sheet, consequently severely restricting the number of sheets that can be made at the same time, a stack of sieved paste was able to be built up layer upon layer, with only a length of cotton thread between them to enable separation at a later time. The stack would then be squeezed very slightly, and each sheet of mush shifted to a board to dry.