The story of proper paper started in China. Similar to the Egyptians, the Chinese had, nearly 50 centuries in the past, created a style of writing that used images. They also had been utilizing various things to write upon, usually strips of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they were making for other uses derived from the Paper. Mulberry was used also.
Historical documentation points to the fact that in 105AD a member of the government by the name of Tsai Lung, invented usable paper, although it seems from archaeological discoveries that actually it was being used in South East Asia for probably two centuries prior to Tsai Lung.
Way back in ancient times setting down words was generally on some derivative of bamboo or on pieces of silk, which were called Ji in those days. Nonetheless the prohibitive cost of silk and bamboo being heavy, these materials were not of great use. Then Tsai Lun came up with the idea of using bark from trees, fish nets, rags, and hemp. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he submitted a report to the emperor regarding the process of paper making and got high accolade for his thoughts. Since those distant days paper has been availed of everywhere and is known as the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this accolade is deserved, will very likely not ever be known! However, the important factor is that they found that if they ground some compounds taken from plant matter into a mache, extract impure materials, place the mache in liquid, sieve it out onto cloth sheets giving it time to dry. When fully dried, it compacted into a hard, dense sheet that was extraordinarily light, and as long as it was not allowed to get wet, turned out to be decidedly tough.
It's a fact that this simple of papermaking technologies is even now practised in exactly a similar way within Nepal and Tibet, the first regions to make use of the craft from what is now the People's Republic of China. A basic frame utilises a kind of cotton cloth pulled and held over a single side, very watery pulp is put in to the far side and moved around until it has reached an even state. After which it is left hanging that will let the water to drain out of it and the paste to dry in to a sheet of parchment which can be removed.
By and by a very clever individual realized that making a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and placing a fine removable bamboo mat across this, would enable the paper-making process to be speeded up incredibly. Rather than using one mould for each paper sheet, severely restricting the amount of sheets that could be made at the same time, a stack of sieved mash could be built up layer upon layer, with only a piece of cotton thread between them to help with later separation. The stack would then be squeezed slightly, and every layer of mush moved to a dry board.