The origins of proper paper happened in what is now the People's Republic of China. Like the Egyptians, the Chinese had, almost five thousand years in the past, brought out a pictographic form of writing. They also had been utilizing many different types of things to write on, usually strips of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they made for other reasons derived from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of also.
Legend points to the fact that in 105 years after the birth of Christ a member of the government called Tsai Lung, invented usable paper, though it appears from archaeological digs that actually it was being worked with in China for at least two centuries prior to Tsai Lung.
Way back in ancient times gone by scribing was usually on some form of bamboo or on lengths of silk, which were then called ji. Nevertheless silk was expensive and bamboo being very heavy, these two materials were not of great use. Due to this Tsai Lun came up with the idea of making use of bark, hemp, fish nets, and rags. In 105AD he submitted a report to the emperor on the process of paper making and got much praise for his thoughts. Consequently, from that period paper has been utilized every place and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If the above title is deserved, will probably never be uncovered! But the main consideration must be that the discovery was made that they could pound some compounds derived from plant matter in to a paste, expunge impure materials, put the paste in liquid, screen it onto fabric sheets giving it enough time to dry out. After the drying process was complete, it compressed into a firm, firm sheet that turned out to be incredibly light, and providing it did not get wet, turned out to be very tenacious.
This most simple of paper making technologies is still being used in precisely a similar way within Tibet and Nepal, the very first areas to learn the technolgies from South East Asia. A basic frame utilises a kind of cotton cloth pulled and held over one side, watery grume is situated into the other side and moved around until it has reached a level. Then it is left hanging so that it will allow the water to drain and the mush to dry into a sheet of paper which will be able to be taken off.
There came a time when a very clever individual came to the conclusion that manufacturing a frame with ribs and placing a fine removable bamboo mat over it, would let the process to be accelerated to a great degree. Instead of using a single mold for every paper sheet, consequently severely restricting the number of sheets that can be made at the same time, a stack of sieved mash could be built up a layer at a time, with only a piece of cotton thread between them in order to enable later separation. The stack would then be squeezed very lightly, and each sheet of pulp transferred to a dry board.