The origins of genuine paper started in South East Asia. Like the Egyptians, the Chinese had, nearly 5000 years in the past, developed a kind of writing that used images. They too had been making use of various kinds of objects to write on, usually lengths of bamboo and silk woven into a fine fabric and possibly the barkcloth they were making for other reasons derived from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of also.
History tells us that in 105AD an official named Tsai Lung, brought out usable paper, though it seems from archaeological finds that actually it was in existence in China for probably two centuries before Tsai Lung.
During olden times setting down words was mainly on some form of bamboo or occasionally on pieces of silk, which were then called ji. But silk being expensive and bamboo being weighty, these materials were not of great use. At this time Tsai Lun thought of utilizing bark from trees, hemp, fish nets, and rags. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he made a report to the emperor regarding the process of making paper and was endowed with high praise for his ideas. Consequently, from those distant times paper has been availed of universally and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If this accolade is Tsai's entitlement or not, will likely never be known! Nonetheless the most important thing must be that it was discovered that they could pound some compounds derived from plants into a paste, cut out impure substances, float the paste in liquid, screen it onto cloth sheets and give it time to dry out. When fully dried, it conglomerated into a firm, tenacious sheet that was astonishingly light, and providing it was not allowed to get damp or wet, turned out to be really tough.
This most simple of papermaking techniques is even now in use in exactly the same way within Nepal and Tibet, the first countries to make use of the techniques from what is now the People's Republic of China. A basic frame utilizes a cotton cloth made to stretch over a side, very watery mash is situated in to the opposite end and moved around until it has become even. After which it is left hanging so that it will allow the water to leave it and the mache to dry in to a sheet of paper which may be peeled off.
As time passed a very talented individual came to the conclusion that building a frame with ribbing and putting a delicate bamboo mat that is replaceable across this, would let the paper-making procedure to be quickened to a much greater degree. Instead of using a single mold for each paper sheet, severely limiting the number of sheets that can be produced at one time, a stack of sieved grume could be built up layer upon layer, with only a piece of cotton thread between them which would facilitate later separation. The stack would then be squeezed very slightly, and every layer of pulp shifted to a dry board.