The history of real paper started in what is now the People's Republic of China. Similar to the Egyptians, the Chinese had, nearly fifty centuries ago, brought out a style of pictographic writing. They too had been making use of various kinds of objects to scribe upon, most commonly lengths of bamboo and processed silk and it is possible that the barkcloth they made for other purposes from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of too.
Historical documentation leads us to believe that in 105AD an official named Tsai Lung, invented paper, although it appears from archaeological discoveries that actually it was being worked with in South East Asia for more than likely two hundred years prior to him.
During ancient times gone by scribing was usually on bamboo or on strips of silk, which were called Ji in those days. However, the great price of silk and bamboo being too heavy, these two materials were not convenient. Then Tsai Lun thought of using tree bark, fish nets, rags, and hemp. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he made a report to the emperor about the production of paper and got much praise for his ability. Since those days paper has been in use globally and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If this accolade is Tsai's entitlement or not, will probably not ever be known! Nonetheless the main consideration must be that the discovery was made that they could pound certain compounds derived from plants in to a mache, expunge impurities, put the mache in liquid, sieve it out onto cloth sheets giving it enough time to dry out. When it dried, it caked into a hard, durable sheet that was extraordinarily light, and as long as it was not allowed to get damp or wet, proved astonishingly firm.
This the easiest of paper making technologies is still being used in exactly the same way in Tibet and Nepal, the initial regions to make use of the techniques from China. A simple frame utilises a kind of cotton cloth stretched over one side, diluted mush is poured into the far end and spread around until it has become even. Then it is suspended so that it will allow the water to leave it and the mash to dry in to a parchment sheet which may be peeled off.
There came a time when a very clever individual worked out that making a frame with ribbing and placing a delicate bamboo mat that is removable over it, would enable the paper-making procedure to be quickened to a great degree. Rather than using one mold for every sheet of parchment, therefore severely restricting the amount of sheets that may be made at the same time, a stack of sieved grume could be built up a layer at a time, with merely a strip of cotton thread between them which would enable separation at a later time. The stack would then be squeezed very gently, and each sheet of paste moved to a place to dry.