The origins of proper paper started in what is now the People's Republic of China. Like the Egyptians, the Chinese had, virtually 5000 years ago, invented a form of pictographic writing. The Egyptians also had been using various kinds of things to write on, most notably lengths of bamboo and processed silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they were making for other purposes derived out of the Paper. Mulberry was made use of as well.
Historical documentation tells us that in 105AD a government worker going by the name of Tsai Lung, brought out papyrus, although it appears from finds by archaeologists that actually it was around in South East Asia for at least two centuries prior to Tsai Lung.
Way back in ancient times writing was generally done on some form of bamboo or on strips of silk, which were then called ji. But the prohibitive cost of silk and bamboo being too heavy, these materials were inconvenient. Due to this Tsai Lun came up with the idea of utilizing bark, hemp, fish nets, and rags. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he made a report to the emperor about the process of paper manufacture and was endowed with high accolade for his thoughts. From those days paper has been utilized every place and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this historical reference is accurate, will likely never be uncovered! Nonetheless the important factor must be that it was found that if they pounded some compounds derived from plants in to a mash, discard unwanted materials, put the mash in water, filter it onto cloth sheets giving it time to dry. After drying, it dried into a firm, robust sheet that was extremely light, and providing it did not get damp or wet, proved decidedly tough.
This the most simple of papermaking techniques is even now in use in precisely the same way within Nepal and Tibet, the very first regions to learn the technolgies from China. A simple frame utilises a type of cotton cloth stretched over one side, thin grume is poured into the opposite end and spread around until it is level. After which it is left suspended in order for it to let the liquid to leave it and the paste to dry into a paper sheet which will be able to be stripped off.
It eventually came to pass that a talented developer realized that building a frame with ribbing and putting in place a fine bamboo mat that is removable across this, would enable the paper-making procedure to be accelerated greatly. Rather than using one mould for every parchment sheet, therefore severely limiting the number of sheets that could be manufactured at one time, a stack of sieved pulp 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 each sheet of mush shifted to a dry board.