The history of proper paper started in South East Asia. Similar to the Egyptians, the Chinese had, virtually 50 centuries ago, invented a pictographic type of writing. They too had been making use of many different kinds of objects to scribe on, notably strips of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they were using for other unconnected purposes derived from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of as well.
Legend leads us to believe that in 105 years after the birth of Christ a government worker by the name of Tsai Lung, developed papyrus, though it is almost certain from archaeological discoveries that it was actually being used in China for more than likely two centuries before him.
Way back during olden times setting down words or pictograms was generally done on some form of bamboo or occasionally on pieces of silk, which were called Ji in those days. However, the great price of silk and bamboo being very heavy, these two materials were not of great use. Due to this Tsai Lun came up with the idea of using bark, rags, hemp, and fish nets. In 105AD he delivered a report to the emperor with regard to the process of paper making and was endowed with much praise for his ability. Since those distant days paper has been utilized everywhere and is known as the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this title is deserved or not, will likely never be uncovered! But the major factor is that it was discovered that if they ground particular compounds taken from plant matter into a paste, depose impure materials, put the paste in liquid, filter it out onto fabric sheets allowing it to dry. After drying, it calcified into a hard, dense sheet that was particularly light, and providing it did not get damp, turned out to be extraordinarily tenacious.
It's a fact that this very easy of papermaking techniques is even now practised in precisely the same way in and around Nepal and Tibet, the very first areas to make use of the techniques from what is now the People's Republic of China. A simple frame utilises a cloth made from cotton made to stretch over a side, diluted mush is emptied in to the other end and moved around until it is smooth. It is then suspended so that it will let the water to drain and the grume to dry in to a paper sheet which can be removed by stripping off.
At some point in time an extremely talented developer came to the conclusion that building a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and putting a fine removable bamboo mat across it, would enable the procedure to be speeded up to a much greater degree. Rather than utilizing a single mould for each parchment sheet, severely restricting the number of sheets that may be produced at the same time, a stack of sieved mash could be built up layer upon layer, with only a strip of cotton thread between them which would enable later separation. The stack would then be squeezed lightly, and every sheet of mache shifted to a dry place.