The history of proper paper began in what is now the People's Republic of China. Like the people of Egypt, the Chinese had, virtually 5000 years in the past, invented a kind of writing that used images. They too had been utilizing various kinds of objects to scribe on, most notably strips of bamboo and silk woven into a fine fabric and possibly the barkcloth they were using for other purposes from the Paper. Mulberry was made use of also.
Historical documentation points to the fact that in 105 years after the birth of Christ a member of the government called Tsai Lung, developed paper, though it seems from archaeological discoveries that it was actually in existence in South East Asia for more than likely two centuries prior to him.
Back in ancient times scribing was usually done on some form of bamboo or occasionally on lengths of silk, which were known as Ji in those days. However, silk was expensive and bamboo being weighty, these materials were not convenient. Due to this Tsai Lun came up with the idea of using tree bark, hemp, rags, and fish nets. In 105AD he submitted a report to the emperor regarding the process of making paper and was endowed with high praise for his thoughts. Consequently, from that period paper has been utilized all over the world and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If indeed this historical reference is deserved or not, will likely never be known! Nonetheless the most important consideration has to be that they found that if they pounded some substances derived from plant material in to a grume, expel impure materials, place the grume in liquid, filter it out onto cloth sheets and give it time to dry out. When fully dried, it calcified into a firm, dense sheet that was extremely light, and providing it was not allowed to get wet, turned out to be exceedingly robust.
This the most simple of paper making technologies is even now in use in precisely a similar way in Nepal and Tibet, the very first places to make use of the technolgies from China. A basic frame utilizes a cloth made from cotton pulled and held over one side, diluted paste is put into the far end and spread around until it is level. It is then left suspended that will enable the water to leave it and the mash to dry in to a sheet of paper which will be able to be stripped off.
At some point in time a very talented individual came to the conclusion that manufacturing a frame with an arrangement of ribbing and putting a fine bamboo mat that is replaceable across it, would let the process to be accelerated to a much greater degree. Instead of using a single mould for every parchment sheet, therefore severely restricting the number of sheets that are able to be produced at the same time, a stack of sieved pulp could be built up a layer at a time, with merely a piece of cotton thread between them to help with later separation. The stack would then be pressed very gently, and each sheet of mache shifted to a dry board.