The history of true paper started in China. Like the Egyptians, the Chinese had, virtually 5000 years in the past, created a pictographic form of writing. The Egyptians too had been utilizing many different objects to write upon, notably strips of bamboo and processed silk and possibly the barkcloth they used for other purposes from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of too.
History tells us that in 105 years after the birth of Christ an official named Tsai Lung, invented paper, although it is clear from archaeological digs that in fact it was in existence in South East Asia for at least two hundred years before Tsai Lung.
Back during ancient times gone by scribing was generally done on some form of bamboo or on lengths of silk, which were known as Ji in those days. However, the 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, hemp, and rags. In 105AD he put an idea to the emperor on the process of making paper and was endowed with high praise for his idea. Consequently, from that period paper has been availed of everywhere and is known as the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed the above historical tag is relevant, will likely never be uncovered! Nonetheless the most important factor is that they found that they could grind some compounds derived from plant matter in to a mache, evacuate impure materials, float the mache in water, filter it out onto textile sheets and allow it to dry. When it dried, it dried into a firm, tenacious sheet that turned out to be extremely light, and providing it was not allowed to get damp, turned out to be decidedly tough.
This most simple of paper making technologies is even now practised in exactly the same way within Nepal and Tibet, the first countries to learn the techniques from what is now the People's Republic of China. A simple frame utilizes a kind of cotton cloth pulled and held over one side, very watery mash is emptied into the far side and moved around until it is even. It is then left suspended that will allow the liquid to leave it and the grume to dry into a paper sheet which can be peeled off.
There came a time when a talented developer came to realize that constructing a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and putting a delicate bamboo mat that is replaceable over it, would enable the process to be accelerated to a much greater degree. Instead of tying up one mould for each sheet of paper, severely restricting the number of sheets that can be manufactured at one time, a stack of sieved mush could be built up layer upon layer, with merely a strip of cotton thread between them in order to facilitate separation at a later time. The stack would then be squeezed slightly, and every sheet of paste shifted to a place to dry.