Japanese woodblock prints have been traditionally made in specific sizes and formats based on the typical dimensions of Japanese handmade paper called o-bosho. There is no exact standard for a large o-bosho sheet since papermakers used slightly different recipes and moulds. (approximate is 53 cm x 39 cm.)

The various formats of Japanese prints were cut from a piece of o-bosho sheet to reduce. The most common print size was the oban format (which used half of a large o-bosho sheet). The orientation of the prints are denoted by the terms tate-e ('vertical picture) and yoko-e (horizaontal picture).