The story of genuine paper started in South East Asia. Similar to the Egyptians, the Chinese had, almost 5,000 years ago, invented a type of pictographic writing. They also had been making use of various types of objects to scribe on, notably pieces of bamboo and silk woven into a fine fabric and possibly the barkcloth they made for other reasons derived out of the Paper. Mulberry was made use of too.
Legend leads us to believe that in 105AD a member of the government called Tsai Lung, brought out paper, although it is almost certain from finds by archaeologists that in fact it was in existence in what is now the People's Republic of China for probably two hundred years prior to him.
Way back in olden times setting down words was usually on some form of bamboo or on lengths of silk, which were known as Ji then. But the soaring cost of silk and bamboo being too weighty, these materials were not of great use. Around then Tsai Lun came up with the idea of utilizing bark, fish nets, rags, and hemp. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he made a report to the emperor regarding the process of paper manufacture and received many accolades for his creativity. Since those distant days paper has been in use everywhere and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If this accolade is relevant, will very likely never be uncovered! Nevertheless the important consideration is that it was discovered that if they pounded some substances taken from plant matter in to a mash, expunge spume, put the mash in liquid, screen it out onto textile sheets giving it time to dry. When it dried, it conglomerated into a hard, dense sheet that was very light, and as long as it was not allowed to get damp, proved surprisingly firm.
This the most simple of paper making technologies is still in use in precisely the same way within Tibet and Nepal, the initial areas to learn the craft from China. A simple frame utilises a kind of cotton cloth pulled and held over a single side, diluted grume is situated into the opposite end and spread around until it has become even. It is then left hanging so that it will enable the water to drain out of it and the paste to dry into a paper sheet which can be removed by peeling.
At some stage an extremely clever individual realized that manufacturing a frame with ribs and putting a delicate replaceable bamboo mat across this, would allow the paper-making procedure to be quickened incredibly. Rather than tying up one mold for each parchment sheet, consequently severely limiting the amount of sheets that are able to be made at one time, a stack of sieved mush was able to be built up layer upon layer, with just a piece of cotton thread between them to help with separation at a later time. The stack would then be squeezed very lightly, and every layer of pulp moved to a dry place.