It really took off after a century of the Black Death and the fall of Constantinople. Instead of relying on the consensus of the village elders (all or most of whom died in the plague) better secular recordkeeping became necessary, which meant a more general literacy, which drove demand for writing materials. The fall of Constantinople cut off access to higher end trade with southern and eastern Asia, led to European circumnavigation of Africa, and the European exploration and diaspora. Good idea to add palimpsest to the keywords, thanks!
Yes, after the Black Death the various governments needed to know who was were, and who now owned what. Thus was invented “filling out forms”.