Hewlett Packard has signed an agreement to digitise and deliver the archive library of Paul McCartney.

HP will work closely with McCartney Productions Limited (MPL) to offer the ex-Beatle’s historic archive through a private cloud platform, opening up parts of the library to fans and offering a “personal and unparalleled glimpse into McCartney’s work.” Cloud computing is simply the provision or storage of services over the internet (cloud).

“I’ve always been interested in creative ideas and new ways of reaching people, so this is a really exciting initiative for me,” McCartney said. ”I hope it will allow people who might be interested to access parts of our archives they might otherwise not be able to. I’m looking forward to working with HP on this project.”

McCartney’s library is understood to include works never seen before, a diverse range of paintings, art, film and images that stand alongside the master copies of what are some the best pop songs ever written.

Canon has unveiled its new range of PIXMA printers, headed up by the flagship MG8150, which is equipped with the brand’s Intelligent Touch System interface.

This all-in-one photo printer sports a light-guided touch panel that helps you to navigate by only showing the functions that are available for the particular task that you’re carrying out, which should speed things up and stop you from hitting the wrong buttons by mistake. The new model also includes Quick Operation which gives you fast access to the most frequently used features.

There’s also a function that lets you select a single frame from a full HD movie, captured on a Canon camera, and then print it as a still image. There are also plenty of other options for creative types including links to exclusive content from famous artists which can be used for designing and printing your own creative projects. The enhanced Easy-PhotoPrint EX now has direct access to Flickr.

Along with a glossy black finish, the printer boasts Canon’s FINE print head technology with 6 single ink tanks, including a grey ink, in order to offer professional quality greyscale and colour printing. The MG8150 has an ISO ESAT speed of approximately 12.5/9.3ipm mono/colour and it’s capable of printing a 10 x 15cm borderless colour photo in about 20 seconds, says Canon. What’s more, it can scan and reprint 35mm film and slides and you can also print directly on compatible CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays.

As well as Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity, you’ll get IrSimple, PictBridge and optional Bluetooth as well.

For further product specification please click here

OKI Printing Solutions today announced that its innovative Template Manager software has won Best Product/Service Range in the quarterly Best Business Awards, organised by Awards Intelligence, the UK’s leading provider of business awards support services, news and information to progressive organisations.

Commenting on OKI’s success, Andrew Areoff, chairman of the judges said: “OKI’s in-house printing solution addresses a key concern for customers in that it incorporates a design facility enabling them to produce stationery and promotional materials without support from external suppliers. The Template Manager software, which comes free with most OKI printers, delivers a cost-effective solution while at the same time being simple to use. OKI has developed a product that could potentially reduce print budgets significantly while maintaining quality.”

Graham Lowes, marketing director, OKI Printing Solutions said, “Template Manager is helping to facilitate a revolution in business printing by supporting the ongoing move away from outsourcing to more of an in-house focused approach – especially for short-run jobs. We are honoured and delighted to see it receive such important industry recognition.”

For many organisations today, OKI Printing Solutions’ Template Manager software provides a route to smarter, more efficient printing. Castleford Tigers, the famous Rugby League Club, for example, uses it to customise material to its precise needs.

As Mark Wilson, the club’s lottery manager, puts it: “We use banners, posters and flyers in our campaigns in and around the local community and within schools in particular, so being able to design and create these quickly and easily using the OKI software is a major advantage.”

Most organisations understand the advantages of in-house printing, in terms of delivering cost savings and developing customised materials for general business and sales and marketing purposes. However, in the past, companies have shied away from bringing more jobs in-house due to a perception that they lacked the internal creative skills to make the most of the potential benefits.

OKI was among the first vendors in the printing solutions market to understand this dilemma and to develop pioneering software designed to tackle the challenges. In line with its core Look What You Can Do (LWYCD) philosophy, OKI developed Template Manager to make it easier for business users to create their own materials and in so doing to reduce wastage and drive efficiencies.

The Best Business Awards are open to private, public and third sector organisations of all sizes. There are four rounds each year in January, April, July and October and winners hold their title for 12 months. Entries are judged by an independent panel of past winners and other business experts. Each submission is scored against specific category criteria with particular emphasis on success and innovation.

Sale Sharks v. London Irish: Saturday 16th April 2011 (5.30 p.m.)

Sale Sharks aim to make North West rugby history this season by moving their Aviva Premiership Rugby match against London Irish to the Reebok Stadium, home of Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, in what they expect will be the biggest game of club rugby ever played in the region.

Sale Sharks will be positioning the match, to be known as Rugby at the Reebok, as a celebration of North West rugby inviting rugby players and supporters at all ages and levels from across the region to participate in the day. As such, the club will be moving the match to a Saturday evening kick-off – Saturday 16th April 17.30. The Sharks have already been in discussions with the Lancashire and Cheshire County Unions to request that all of the community club matches on that day kick-off at 13.00 to enable the regions amateur players to attend the match.

In addition to the rugby, there will be some outstanding pre and post match entertainment, and tickets have been reasonably prices with good seats starting at just £10 adults and £5 for juniors under 16, all aimed to make Rugby at the Reebok a fun event for the whole family.

Sharks long-serving fly half Charlie Hodgson says the whole squad is excited by the opportunity to run out onto the Reebok Stadium in front of 28,200 supporters.

“As a player, you want to be play rugby on the biggest stage. To have the opportunity to play for Sale Sharks at one of the UK’s great stadiums will be a fantastic honour for the players who are selected. Having begun my career with the club in front of 1800 people at Heywood Road, it’s absolutely amazing to think that we will be playing a home match at a world class stadium in front of 28,200 people.”

The club’s Chief Executive Mick Hogan wants to achieve a sell out crowd.

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of nearly twelve months work to enable us to announce this event. We now have 7 months to achieve a sell out crowd, and I truly believe that there are almost 30,000 people in the North West who would like to attend a live game of Sale Sharks’ rugby. We want to show the North West some real ambition and give the region a rugby team that they can truly be proud to support.”

“This isn’t a one-off either. We have an agreement with Bolton that will see us bring a Premiership game to the Reebok Stadium over each of the next three seasons.”

Tickets are available now from the Sale Sharks’ ticket office on 08444 994 994

Sale Sharks are ready to welcome back their influential fly half Charlie Hodgson in Friday’s Aviva Premiership match against London Wasps at Edgeley Park (7.45 p.m.).

Sharks’ Head Coach Mike Brewer said, “It’s great to have Charlie back. In one training run, he has added another dimension to our game. A player of Charlie’s experience is more than what he just executes as our flyhalf, it is also his game management and overall decision making which is invaluable. Nicky Macleod has done really well in the first part of the season and it is quite timely for us that Charlie is now fully recovered just as Nicky picks up an injury.”

Sale Sharks have won both their home games in the Premiership this season. Opening up with Newcastle Falcons on September 3rd, the side took a commanding lead by half time and ended up winning 35-18. In the second game, Harlequins held a 17-6 half time lead, but a spirited reply from Brewer’s men during the second half saw the Sharks take the spoils 21-17.