The origins of proper paper started in South East Asia. Like the indigenous people of Egypt, the Chinese had, virtually 50 centuries ago, created a style of writing that used pictures. They also had been utilizing several types of things to scribe on, most usually strips of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they were making for other reasons derived from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of also.
Historical documentation tells us that in 105 years after the birth of Christ a government worker going by the name of Tsai Lung, brought out usable paper, though it is almost certain from archaeological finds that in fact it was being used in China for more than likely two hundred years prior to Tsai Lung.
Back during ancient times gone by scribing was usually on some form of bamboo or on lengths of silk, which were known as Ji in those days. Nevertheless the great price of silk and the weight of bamboo, these two materials were not of great use. Then Tsai Lun came up with the idea of making use of bark, rags, fish nets, and hemp. In 105AD he submitted a report to the emperor about the process of paper making and was endowed with many accolades for his inventions. From those distant days paper has been in use in almost every place on earth and is known as the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If this accolade is relevant or not, will probably never be uncovered! However, the most important thing is that they discovered that they could pound particular substances derived from plant matter into a mash, take out unwanted substances, float the mash in liquid, filter it out onto cloth sheets and allow it to dry. When it dried, it caked into a firm, robust sheet that turned out to be extremely light, and provided that it was not allowed to come into contact with water, proved remarkably tough.
It's a fact that this very easy of papermaking technologies is still in use in precisely a similar way within Tibet and Nepal, the first areas to pick up the technolgies from what is now the People's Republic of China. A basic frame utilises a kind of cotton cloth stretched over a single side, very watery mush is emptied in to the far side and spread about until it is smooth. After which it is left suspended in order for it to let the water to leave it and the paste to dry into a sheet of paper which may be taken off.
By and by an extremely clever individual worked out that making a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and placing a delicate removable bamboo mat across it, would enable the procedure to be accelerated to a much greater degree. Instead of tying up one mold for every parchment sheet, consequently severely restricting the amount of sheets that could be produced at the same time, a stack of sieved grume was able to be built up layer upon layer, with just a piece of cotton thread between them to facilitate separation at a later time. The stack would then be pressed very slightly, and each sheet of mache shifted to a board to dry.