The history of real paper started in China. Similar to the indigenous people of Egypt, the Chinese had, almost 5000 years ago, developed a pictographic form of writing. They too had been utilizing various kinds of objects to scribe on, most notably pieces of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they were using for other purposes derived from the Paper. Mulberry was used also.
History tells us that in 105 years after the birth of Christ an official called Tsai Lung, invented paper, although it appears from archaeological discoveries that in fact it was around in what is now the People's Republic of China for at least two hundred years before Tsai Lung.
Way back in ancient times writing was generally on some derivative of bamboo or occasionally on lengths of silk, which were called Ji in those days. However, the great price of silk and bamboo being weighty, these two materials were not convenient. Due to these factors Tsai Lun thought of making use of bark, hemp, rags, and fish nets. In 105AD he submitted a report to the emperor regarding the production of paper and was endowed with many accolades for his inventions. Since those distant days paper has been used all over the world and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If this accolade is correct, will probably never be known! But the important thing is that they found that they could pound some plant derived substances into a mache, throw out spume, float the mache in liquid, screen it onto textile sheets allowing it to dry. After drying, it compacted into a hard, tenacious sheet that was decidedly light, and provided that it did not get damp or wet, proved particularly durable.
This the easiest of papermaking technologies is even now in use in exactly the same way around Tibet and Nepal, the first areas to take the craft from South East Asia. A simple frame utilizes a kind of cotton cloth pulled and held over a single side, very watery pulp is poured in to the far end and spread about until it has become even. After which it is left suspended in order for it to enable the water to drain out of it and the mash to dry into a sheet of parchment which will be able to be removed by stripping off.
There came a time when a talented developer worked out that building a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and putting in place a delicate bamboo mat that is replaceable across it, would let the paper-making process to be accelerated to a great degree. Rather than tying up one mould for each parchment sheet, therefore severely restricting the amount of sheets that may be made at the same time, a stack of sieved grume was able to be built up layer upon layer, with only a piece of cotton thread between them in order to facilitate later separation. The stack would then be pressed gently, and every layer of mush moved to a dry place.