The story of proper paper started in China. Like the indigenous people of Egypt, the Chinese had, virtually 5000 years in the past, brought out a pictographic form of writing. The Egyptians too had been using many different kinds of objects to scribe on, usually lengths of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they were using for other unconnected purposes from the Paper. Mulberry was used as well.
Legend tells us that in 105 years after the birth of Christ an official by the name of Tsai Lung, developed paper, although it seems from archaeological discoveries that actually it was being used in South East Asia for at least two centuries before Tsai Lung.
Back in ancient times gone by writing was generally done on bamboo or sometimes on pieces of silk, which were then called ji. However, the prohibitive cost of silk and bamboo being very weighty, these two materials were inconvenient. Around then Tsai Lun came up with the idea of utilizing the bark from trees, fish nets, rags, and hemp. In 105AD he put an idea to the emperor with regard to the production of paper and got high accolade for his thoughts. Consequently, from that time paper has been availed of everywhere and is known as the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed the above title is Tsai's entitlement or not, will probably not ever be known! Nonetheless the major consideration is that they found that if they pounded some plant-derived substances into a mush, expel impure materials, float the mush in water, screen it out onto textile sheets giving it time to dry. When it dried, it congealed into a firm, tenacious sheet that turned out to be astonishingly light, and provided that it was not allowed to get damp or wet, proved surprisingly durable.
This simplest of paper making techniques is still being used in precisely a similar way around Nepal and Tibet, the initial countries to pick up the craft from what is now the People's Republic of China. A simple frame makes use of a type of cotton cloth stretched over one side, thin paste is put in to the far end and spread about until it has become even. After which it is left in order for it to enable the liquid to leave it and the grume to dry in to a sheet of paper which may be removed by peeling.
As time passed a very talented individual worked out that constructing a frame with ribbing and putting in place a delicate removable bamboo mat across it, would allow the procedure to be accelerated enormously. Rather than tying up a single mould for every paper sheet, consequently severely restricting the amount of sheets that may be produced at one time, a stack of sieved mash could be built up layer upon layer, with only a strip of cotton thread between them which would enable separation at a later time. The stack would then be squeezed very gently, and each sheet of mache shifted to a place to dry.