The origins of proper paper began in China. Similar to the indigenous people of Egypt, the Chinese had, nearly fifty centuries in the past, invented a form of pictographic writing. The Egyptians too had been using various kinds of objects to write on, usually lengths of bamboo and woven silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they were making for other purposes from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of also.
History points to the fact that in 105AD a government worker named Tsai Lung, created papyrus, although it is clear from finds by archaeologists that it was actually being worked with in South East Asia for probably two centuries before him.
Way back in ancient times writing was usually done on some form of bamboo or occasionally on pieces of silk, which were called Ji in those days. Nevertheless the prohibitive cost of silk and bamboo being very weighty, these two materials were not of great use. About this time Tsai Lun came up with the idea of making use of tree bark, rags, fish nets, and hemp. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he delivered a report to the emperor with regard to the process of making paper and got much praise for his ability. Since that time paper has been utilized in almost every place on earth and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this particular claim is correct or not, will very likely never be uncovered! Nonetheless the main factor has to be that it was found that they could grind some substances derived from plant material in to a pulp, take out impurities, float the pulp in water, filter it out onto textile sheets giving it enough time to dry out. After the drying process was complete, it consolidated into a firm, firm sheet that turned out to be really light, and as long as it did not get damp or wet, proved remarkably robust.
It's a fact that this very simple of papermaking techniques is even now practised in exactly a similar way in and around Nepal and Tibet, the very first areas to make use of the techniques from what is now the People's Republic of China. A basic frame utilises a cotton cloth stretched over one side, very watery mush is poured into the opposite end and spread around until it is smooth. It is then left somewhere to enable the liquid to leave it and the mash to dry into a paper sheet which will be able to be removed.
As time passed a talented developer came to the conclusion that making a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and putting in place a delicate replaceable bamboo mat across it, would allow the paper-making process to be quickened greatly. Rather than tying up a single mold for every parchment sheet, therefore severely restricting the amount of sheets that are able to be produced at the same time, a stack of sieved mache was able to be built up a layer at a time, with merely a piece of cotton thread between them in order to facilitate separation at a later time. The stack would then be squeezed very gently, and each sheet of grume shifted to a dry place.