The history of proper paper began in South East Asia. Similar to the people of Egypt, the Chinese had, almost 5,000 years ago, developed a pictographic form of writing. The Egyptians too had been making use of several types of things to scribe on, notably strips of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they used for other purposes derived out of 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 by the name of Tsai Lung, created paper, though it seems from archaeological digs that it was in fact being worked with in what is now the People's Republic of China for probably two hundred years before Tsai Lung.
During times gone by scribing was usually done on bamboo or sometimes on lengths of silk, which were known as Ji then. However, silk was expensive and bamboo being very weighty, these materials were not of great use. About this time Tsai Lun came up with the idea of using the bark from trees, fish nets, hemp, and rags. In 105AD he delivered a report to the emperor about the process of paper manufacture and received high praise for his thoughts. Consequently, from that period paper has been availed of all over and is known as the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed the above historical tag is deserved or not, will probably not ever be known! Nevertheless the main factor must be that the discovery was made that if they pounded certain compounds taken from plant matter into a mush, shed impurities, float the mush in liquid, screen it onto fabric sheets giving it time to dry. After the drying process was complete, it compressed into a hard, firm sheet that was very light, and as long as it was not allowed to get wet, proved particularly dense.
This most straightforward of papermaking technologies is even now still being used in exactly a similar way within Nepal and Tibet, the very first places to pick up the craft from China. A basic frame utilizes a cotton cloth stretched over one side, diluted pulp is put in to the opposite side and moved around until it has become even. It is then left somewhere to enable the water to leave it and the mash to dry in to a sheet of paper which can be taken off.
At some stage an extremely clever individual realized that manufacturing a frame with ribbing and putting in place a delicate bamboo mat that is removable over this, would allow the process to be quickened incredibly. Instead of utilizing one mould for every sheet of parchment, consequently severely limiting the number of sheets that may be made at the same time, a stack of sieved mache could be built up layer upon layer, with merely a strip of cotton thread between them to facilitate later separation. The stack would then be pressed lightly, and each sheet of grume shifted to a place to dry.