A method for managing a print shop system having a plurality of printers connected to a management server is described. A paper name database is maintained on the server and each printer, and contains a plurality of paper name definitions each associating a paper name to a plurality of paper attributes such as paper size, weight, etc. The paper name databases are synchronized with each other. When creating a job ticket on the server, the operator specifies the paper name but does not need to specify the paper attributes. The server generates a job ticket containing the paper name and/or the paper attributes (retrieved from the paper name database using the paper name entered by the operator). When a printer receives a job ticket that contains a papa name, it retrieves the paper attributes associated with the paper name from the local paper name database and executes the job.