The history of true paper started in what is now the People's Republic of China. Similar to the people of Egypt, the Chinese had, virtually 5000 years in the past, brought out a pictographic type of writing. They also had been using many different things to write upon, usually strips of bamboo and silk woven into a fine fabric and possibly the barkcloth they were using for other unconnected purposes derived out of the Paper. Mulberry was ased too.
History tells us that in 105 years after the birth of Christ a government worker called Tsai Lung, developed usable paper, although it is clear from archaeological digs that it was actually around in South East Asia for probably two centuries before him.
Way back during times gone by setting down words or pictograms was usually done on some form of bamboo or sometimes on pieces of silk, which were then called ji. However, the great price of silk and the weight of bamboo, these two materials were not convenient. Due to these factors Tsai Lun thought of making use of tree bark, fish nets, hemp, and rags. In 105AD he delivered a report to the emperor with regard to the production of paper and got high praise for his abilities. From those distant times paper has been availed of universally and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this historical reference is Marquis Tsai's entitlement, will probably never be known! But the most important factor must be that they found that they could pound certain compounds derived from plants in to a grume, throw out spume, place the grume in liquid, filter it onto cloth sheets allowing it to dry. When it dried, it compacted into a hard, tough sheet that turned out to be astonishingly light, and as long as it was not allowed to get damp, turned out to be really tenacious.
It's a fact that this very simple of paper making techniques is even now still being used in exactly the same way around Tibet and Nepal, the very first countries to make use of the technolgies from China. A simple frame utilizes a cotton cloth made to stretch over a side, diluted mash is poured into the opposite end and spread around until it has reached a level. It is then suspended so that it will let the water to drain and the mache to dry into a sheet of parchment which will be able to be removed by stripping off.
As time went by a talented developer came to the conclusion that making a frame with ribs and placing a fine replaceable bamboo mat across this, would allow the paper-making procedure to be accelerated incredibly. Instead of utilizing one mold for every paper sheet, consequently severely restricting the number of sheets that are able to be manufactured at one time, a stack of sieved pulp could be built up layer upon layer, with just a length of cotton thread between them which would enable later separation. The stack would then be pressed slightly, and each layer of paste shifted to a dry board.