Microsoft Learning, the IT giant's educational publishing arm, appointed Lightning Source to print special editions of support manuals and, where appropriate, to resell them to corporate clients on its behalf.

The move has been prompted by the UK Government's Home Computing Initiative, designed to increase the number of people with access to a PC at home. Those who purchase a PC under the government scheme will gain access to the Microsoft manuals, including Faster Smarter Office System 2003 and Faster Smarter XP.

Microsoft Learning EMEA retail sales manager William Hawkins said that the Government's target was to sell 600,000 machines in the first year and that if 15-20% of purchasers bought the books, the deal would be worth between 275,000 and 551,000.

The deal initially covers three consumer titles that could be produced in up to 50 different versions. According to Lightning Source UK managing director David Taylor: "The custom book service can be applied to many other publishers and many other segments."