Storehouses of parchment

[davidjackson]

Another issue is the predilection of Italy for using  parchment, while Germany preferred paper for reasons we do not know, there was an extensive trade and this is one of the reasons  why I think the ms. was written in Italy

Parchment required a tradition and a profession, whereas paper was a disruptive technology that won in places where the guilds were not strong. As you said, it was easier to print on paper, so the new printing technology (and lack of a guild to stop things) meant paper mills were quickly setup across central Europe.

Yes, this may have meant that parchment was cheap (for lack of a market).