Boxes, bags, envelops, stamps, money, toilet paper and photographs --- there is no end to the number of things that can be made of paper. Even clothing, furniture and buildings have been made of it. However, it is with writing and printing that paper finds its greatest use.
Before paper, people wrote on a variety of things, beginning with stone walls. Thousands of years ago in the Mediterranean it was common for people to write messages on the broken pieces from jars. Animal skins and wood were also common materials to write on.
The problem with dating the development of paper is that paper usually does not last a long time --- unless it is kept in a dry place. The oldest piece of paper in existence was found in Gansu Province, an area which is quite dry. This paper dates to around 180-141 BCE and was probably a map. Other bits of paper dating back to almost the same time have been found in other parts of China.
The first recorded recipe for making paper comes from a man named Cai Lun (48-121 CE) in 105 CE, and so he is usually called the father of paper. From its beginning, paper was used for writing, but it was also used to make clothing, toilet paper, or packing material. It seems that paper only came into common use as a writing material in the 3rd century. However, paper was needed for printing, so paper and printing soon went hand in hand.