The story of real paper happened in China. Like the people of Egypt, the Chinese had, almost 50 centuries in the past, created a pictographic style of writing. The Egyptians also had been making use of various things to write on, notably pieces of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they were using for other reasons derived from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of also.
History leads us to believe that in 105AD an official by the name of Tsai Lung, brought out paper, though it appears from archaeological finds that it was actually being worked with in what is now the People's Republic of China for probably two hundred years before Tsai Lung.
Way back in ancient times setting down words or pictograms was generally on some derivative of bamboo or sometimes on lengths of silk, which were called Ji in those days. However, silk being expensive and bamboo being too heavy, these two materials were not convenient. Due to this Tsai Lun came up with the idea of utilizing the bark from trees, rags, fish nets, and hemp. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he delivered a report to the emperor regarding the process of paper manufacture and was endowed with high accolade for his abilities. Consequently, since those distant days paper has been utilized everywhere and is known as the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed the above historical tag is deserved, will likely never be uncovered! Nonetheless the important consideration has to be that it was found that if they pounded certain compounds taken from plant matter into a paste, separate impurities, float the paste in water, filter it onto fabric sheets giving it time to dry. When it dried, it compacted into a firm, dense sheet that was remarkably light, and provided that it did not get damp, turned out to be decidedly robust.
It's a fact that this very straightforward of paper making technologies is even now practised in exactly the same way in Nepal and Tibet, the very first regions to pick up the techniques from South East Asia. A basic frame makes use of a cotton cloth stretched over one side, very watery grume is poured in to the other end and moved around until it has reached an even state. Then it is suspended in order for it to let the liquid to drain out of it and the mush to dry in to a parchment sheet which may be peeled off.
It eventually came to pass that a developer with great skills came to the conclusion that making a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and putting a delicate replaceable bamboo mat across it, would enable the process to be speeded up fantastically. Instead of using one mould for each sheet of paper, severely restricting the number of sheets that may be produced at one time, a stack of sieved mache was able to be built up a layer at a time, with only a strip of cotton thread between them in order to help with later separation. The stack would then be pressed lightly, and every layer of pulp shifted to a dry board.