The origins of true paper happened in South East Asia. Similar to the people of Egypt, the Chinese had, almost 5,000 years ago, invented a pictographic type of writing. They also had been using various types of objects to write upon, most notably strips of bamboo and silk woven into a fine fabric and it is possible that the barkcloth they were using for other reasons derived from the Paper. Mulberry was used as well.
Historical documentation leads us to believe that in 105AD a member of the government going by the name of Tsai Lung, brought out usable paper, although it is clear from archaeological finds that it was in fact around in China for more than likely two hundred years prior to him.
Back during times gone by scribing was mainly on some form of bamboo or sometimes on lengths of silk, which were called Ji in those days. Nonetheless silk being expensive and bamboo being very heavy, these two materials were inconvenient. Around then Tsai Lun came up with the idea of utilizing tree bark, hemp, rags, and fish nets. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he put an idea to the emperor about the production of paper and was endowed with many accolades for his creativity. Consequently, since those distant days paper has been utilized every place and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this title is accurate or not, will likely never be known! Nevertheless the important thing is that it was found that if they ground particular plant-derived substances into a paste, eliminate impure materials, place the paste in water, screen it out onto fabric sheets allowing it to dry. After the drying process was complete, it congealed into a firm, tough sheet that turned out to be very light, and providing it was not allowed to come into contact with water, proved decidedly durable.
This the easiest of paper making technologies is even now still being used in precisely the same way in Tibet and Nepal, the very first places to learn the techniques from what is now the People's Republic of China. A simple frame utilises a kind of cotton cloth stretched over one side, diluted mush is put in to the far side and moved around until it has become even. Then it is left hanging that will let the liquid to drain out of it and the mash to dry in to a sheet of paper which will be able to be peeled off.
As time passed a very talented individual worked out that building a frame with ribbing and placing a delicate replaceable bamboo mat across it, would enable the process to be speeded up to a much greater degree. Rather than tying up a single mold for every paper sheet, consequently severely limiting the number of sheets that could be made at the same time, a stack of sieved grume was able to be built up layer upon layer, with merely a strip of cotton thread between them to enable later separation. The stack would then be pressed very gently, and each sheet of pulp moved to a dry place.