The origins of proper paper started in what is now the People's Republic of China. Similar to the Egyptians, the Chinese had, almost 5000 years in the past, developed a type of writing that used pictures. They also had been utilizing many different types of objects to write on, most usually strips of bamboo and silk woven into a fine fabric and it is possible that the barkcloth they were using for other uses derived from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of also.
Historical documentation points to the fact that in 105 years after the birth of Christ an official named Tsai Lung, brought out usable paper, though it appears from archaeological digs that actually it was in existence in South East Asia for more than likely two hundred years before Tsai Lung.
Back during ancient times setting down words was generally on bamboo or sometimes on pieces of silk, which were called Ji in those days. Nevertheless the great price of silk and bamboo being heavy, these materials were inconvenient. Due to this Tsai Lun came up with the idea of making use of the bark from trees, rags, hemp, and fish nets. In 105AD he submitted a report to the emperor regarding the process of paper making and was endowed with many accolades for his ideas. Since those days paper has been in use everywhere and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this accolade is relevant, will likely never be known! But the most important factor must be that they discovered that they could pound particular compounds derived from plant matter in to a paste, displace impurities, place the paste in liquid, screen it onto cloth sheets and allow it to dry. When fully dried, it conglomerated into a firm, tenacious sheet that turned out to be decidedly light, and providing it was not allowed to get wet, turned out to be incredibly resilient.
It's a fact that this extremely simple of paper making technologies is still practised in exactly the same way within Nepal and Tibet, the initial places to take the technolgies from China. A simple frame utilizes a type of cotton cloth stretched over one side, thin mache is put into the other side and moved around until it has become even. After which it is left in order for it to let the water to drain and the pulp to dry in to a parchment sheet which will be able to be stripped off.
At some stage a talented developer came to the conclusion that making a frame with ribs and putting in place a fine removable bamboo mat across it, would allow the paper-making process to be quickened to a great degree. Rather than using one mold for each sheet of parchment, consequently severely restricting the number of sheets that may be manufactured at one time, a stack of sieved mush could be built up layer upon layer, with only a strip of cotton thread between them to enable later separation. The stack would then be pressed gently, and every layer of mash moved to a dry place.