<PAGE>   1
    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 1997

                                                  REGISTRATION STATEMENT NO.333-

================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                            -------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            -------------------------

                           TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
  
         Delaware                                   06-6403301
   (State of Incorporation)             (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

                                1114 FEDERAL ROAD
                          BROOKFIELD, CONNECTICUT 06804
                                 (203) 740-9333


   (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
                   Registrant's principal executive offices)


                           TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                          EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

                      ------------------------------------


                                ELAINE A. PULLEN
                      PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                           TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                                1114 FEDERAL ROAD
                          BROOKFIELD, CONNECTICUT 06804
                                 (203) 740-9333

 (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
                              of agent for service)

                          ----------------------------

                                 With a copy to:
                             John J. Egan III, Esq.
                           GOODWIN, PROCTER & HOAR LLP
                                 Exchange Place
                                 53 State Street
                        Boston, Massachusetts 02109-2881
                                 (617) 570-1000

                          -----------------------------

<TABLE>

                                                  CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

==================================================================================================================================
<CAPTION>

 Title of Securities Being          Amount to be        Proposed Maximum Offering  Proposed Maximum Aggregate       Amount of
         Registered                Registered (1)            Price Per Share             Offering Price         Registration Fee
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                <C>                         <C>                         <C>                      <C>
Common Stock, par value $.01       100,000 shares              $22.75(2)                   $2,275,000               $690
per share
==================================================================================================================================
<FN>

(1)  Plus such additional number of shares as may be required pursuant to the
     Trident International, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan in the event of a
     stock dividend, reverse stock split, split-up, recapitalization or other
     similar event.

(2)  This estimate is based on the average of the high and low sales prices on
     the Nasdaq National Market of the Common Stock of Trident International,
     Inc. on February 26, 1997 pursuant to Rules 457(c) and (h) under the
     Securities Act of 1933, as amended, solely for purposes of determining the
     registration fee.
</TABLE>





================================================================================
<PAGE>   2



                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


Item 3.   Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.
          -----------------------------------------------

     Trident International, Inc. (the "Company") hereby incorporates by
reference the documents listed in (a) through (c) below, which have previously
been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

     (a)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, containing audited financial
          statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1996, filed with
          the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13(a) of
          the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"),
          on December 20, 1996;

     (b)  All other reports filed since September 30, 1996 pursuant to Section
          13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; and

     (c)  The description of the Company's common stock contained in its
          Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the Securities and
          Exchange Commission on January 30, 1996, as amended, under Section 12
          of the Exchange Act and any amendments or reports filed for the
          purpose of updating such description.

     In addition, all documents subsequently filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and
15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment
hereto which indicates that all securities offered hereunder have been sold or
that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof
from the date of filing of such documents.


Item 4.   Description of Securities.
          -------------------------

     Not Applicable.


Item 5.   Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.
          --------------------------------------

     Not Applicable.


Item 6.   Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
          -----------------------------------------

     In accordance with Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State
of Delaware, Article VII of the Company's Third Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation (the "Certificate") provides that no director of the Company
shall be personally liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary
damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for
any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders,
(ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional
misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) in respect of certain unlawful
dividend payments or stock redemptions or repurchases, or (iv) for any
transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. In
addition, the Certificate provides that if the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware is amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation
of the liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Company
shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as so amended.

     Article V of the Company's Amended and Restated By-laws provides for
indemnification by the Company of its directors, officers and certain
non-officer employees under certain circumstances against expenses (including
attorneys fees, judgments, fines, taxes, penalties and amounts paid in
settlement) reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of
any threatened, pending or completed legal proceeding in which any such person
is involved by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer
or employee of the Company if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he
or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
Company, and, with respect to criminal actions or proceedings, if such person
had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.


                                                         

<PAGE>   3



     The Registration Rights Agreement, filed as Exhibit 10.13 to the Company's
registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 33-80549) filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission on December 18, 1995, as amended (the "Form S-1"),
provides for indemnification (subject to certain limitations) of the Company,
its officers and directors and persons who control the Company within the
meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the
Exchange Act, by certain stockholders of the Company against certain liabilities
arising under the securities laws in connection with a public offering of the
Company's securities conducted pursuant to such agreement.

     Under Section 8 of the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to the
Form S-1, the underwriters of the Company's initial public offering have agreed
to indemnify, under certain conditions, the Company, its directors, certain of
its officers and persons who control the Company within the meaning of the
Securities Act or the Exchange Act against certain liabilities.

     The Company carries directors' and officers' liability insurance covering
its directors and officers.

Item 7.   Exemption from Registration Claimed.
          -----------------------------------

     Not applicable.


Item 8.   Exhibits.
          --------

     The following is a complete list of exhibits filed or incorporated by
reference as part of this registration statement.

Exhibits
--------

     4.1  Trident International, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and
          Enrollment Form with respect thereto.
     5.1  Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP as to the legality of the
          securities being registered.
    23.1  Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP (to be included in Exhibit
          5.1).
    23.2  Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP, Independent Accountants.
    24.1  Powers of Attorney (included on page 4 of this registration
          statement).


Item 9.   Undertakings.
          ------------

     (a)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

               (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
          made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                    (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3)
               of the Securities Act;

                    (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
               arising after the effective date of the registration statement
               (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
               individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change
               in the information set forth in the registration statement; and

                    (iii) To include any material information with respect to
               the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the
               registration statement or any material change to such information
               in the registration statement;

          provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) above
          shall not apply if the information required to be included in a
          post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic
          reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant
          pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are
          incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

               (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
          Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to
          be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
          therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
          deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

                                        2

<PAGE>   4



               (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
          amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold
          at the termination of the offering.

     (b)       The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes
          of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of
          the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of
          the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee
          benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange
          Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement
          shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
          securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at
          that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
          thereof.

     (c)       Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
          Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
          persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or
          otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the
          Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against
          public policy as expressed in the Securities Act, and is, therefore,
          unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
          such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses
          incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the
          registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
          proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling
          person in connection with the securities being registered, the
          registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has
          been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
          appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by
          it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
          will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.



                                        3

<PAGE>   5



                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Brookfield, State of Connecticut, on February 26,
1997.

                                TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.

                                By:  /S/ Elaine A. Pullen
                                     -------------------------------------    
                                     Elaine A. Pullen
                                     President and Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that we, the undersigned officers and
directors of Trident International, Inc. hereby severally constitute Elaine A.
Pullen and J. Leo Gagne, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys
with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for us and in our
names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement filed
herewith and any and all amendments to said registration statement, and
generally to do all such things in our names and in our capacities as officers
and directors to enable Trident International, Inc. to comply with the
provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and all requirements of the Securities
and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they
may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration
statement and any and all amendments thereto.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

              SIGNATURE                                   CAPACITY                                     DATE
              ---------                                   --------                                     ----


<S>                                         <C>                                                  <C> 
/S/ Elaine A. Pullen                        Director, President and                              February 26, 1997
------------------------------------        Chief Executive Officer      
Elaine A. Pullen                            (Principal Executive Officer)
                                            


/S/ J. Leo Gagne                            Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial         February 26, 1997
------------------------------------        Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)   
J. Leo Gagne                                


/S/ R. Hugh Van Brimer                      Chairman of the Board of Directors                   February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
R. Hugh Van Brimer


/S/ Robert S. Anderson                      Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
Robert S. Anderson


/S/ Russell J. Greenberg                    Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------       
Russell J. Greenberg


/S/ A. Bruce Johnston                       Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
A. Bruce Johnston


/S/ Norman L. Norris                        Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
Norman L. Norris


/S/ Michael K. Lorelli                      Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
Michael K. Lorelli
</TABLE>

                                        4

<PAGE>   6
<TABLE>

                                      EXHIBIT INDEX

<CAPTION>

Exhibit No.                           Description                                        
-----------                           -----------                                        
                                                                                     
   <S>     <C>                                                                               
    4.1    Trident International, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and Enrollment   
           Form with respect thereto.                                                
                                                                                     
    5.1    Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar  LLP as to the legality of the         
           securities being registered.                                              
                                                                                     
   23.1    Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar  LLP (to be included in Exhibit 5.1).  
                                                                                     
   23.2    Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP, Independent Accountants.                  
                                                                                     
   24.1    Powers of Attorney (included on page 4 of this registration statement).   
                                                                                     
</TABLE>






                                        5
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 19862}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL INC", "cik": "0001005128", "assigned-sic": "3577", "irs-number": "066403301", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "0930"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-22477", "film-number": "97545884"}, "business-address": {"street1": "1114 FEDERAL ROAD", "city": "BROOKFIELD", "state": "CT", "zip": "06804", "phone": "2037409333"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "TRIDENT INC", "date-changed": "19951220"}}
1
    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 1997

                                                  REGISTRATION STATEMENT NO.333-

================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                            -------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            -------------------------

                           TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
  
         Delaware                                   06-6403301
   (State of Incorporation)             (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

                                1114 FEDERAL ROAD
                          BROOKFIELD, CONNECTICUT 06804
                                 (203) 740-9333

   (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
                   Registrant's principal executive offices)

                           TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                          EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

                      ------------------------------------

                                ELAINE A. PULLEN
                      PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                           TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                                1114 FEDERAL ROAD
                          BROOKFIELD, CONNECTICUT 06804
                                 (203) 740-9333

 (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
                              of agent for service)

                          ----------------------------

                                 With a copy to:
                             John J. Egan III, Esq.
                           GOODWIN, PROCTER & HOAR LLP
                                 Exchange Place
                                 53 State Street
                        Boston, Massachusetts 02109-2881
                                 (617) 570-1000

                          -----------------------------

                                                  CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

==================================================================================================================================
Title of Securities Being          Amount to be        Proposed Maximum Offering  Proposed Maximum Aggregate       Amount of
         Registered                Registered (1)            Price Per Share             Offering Price         Registration Fee
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock, par value $.01       100,000 shares              $22.75(2)                   $2,275,000               $690
per share
==================================================================================================================================
(1)  Plus such additional number of shares as may be required pursuant to the
     Trident International, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan in the event of a
     stock dividend, reverse stock split, split-up, recapitalization or other
     similar event.

(2)  This estimate is based on the average of the high and low sales prices on
     the Nasdaq National Market of the Common Stock of Trident International,
     Inc. on February 26, 1997 pursuant to Rules 457(c) and (h) under the
     Securities Act of 1933, as amended, solely for purposes of determining the
     registration fee.
================================================================================
2

                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.   Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.
          -----------------------------------------------

     Trident International, Inc. (the "Company") hereby incorporates by
reference the documents listed in (a) through (c) below, which have previously
been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

     (a)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, containing audited financial
          statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1996, filed with
          the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13(a) of
          the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"),
          on December 20, 1996;

     (b)  All other reports filed since September 30, 1996 pursuant to Section
          13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; and

     (c)  The description of the Company's common stock contained in its
          Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the Securities and
          Exchange Commission on January 30, 1996, as amended, under Section 12
          of the Exchange Act and any amendments or reports filed for the
          purpose of updating such description.

     In addition, all documents subsequently filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and
15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment
hereto which indicates that all securities offered hereunder have been sold or
that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof
from the date of filing of such documents.

Item 4.   Description of Securities.
          -------------------------

     Not Applicable.

Item 5.   Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.
          --------------------------------------

     Not Applicable.

Item 6.   Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
          -----------------------------------------

     In accordance with Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State
of Delaware, Article VII of the Company's Third Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation (the "Certificate") provides that no director of the Company
shall be personally liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary
damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for
any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders,
(ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional
misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) in respect of certain unlawful
dividend payments or stock redemptions or repurchases, or (iv) for any
transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. In
addition, the Certificate provides that if the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware is amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation
of the liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Company
shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as so amended.

     Article V of the Company's Amended and Restated By-laws provides for
indemnification by the Company of its directors, officers and certain
non-officer employees under certain circumstances against expenses (including
attorneys fees, judgments, fines, taxes, penalties and amounts paid in
settlement) reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of
any threatened, pending or completed legal proceeding in which any such person
is involved by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer
or employee of the Company if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he
or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
Company, and, with respect to criminal actions or proceedings, if such person
had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.
3

     The Registration Rights Agreement, filed as Exhibit 10.13 to the Company's
registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 33-80549) filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission on December 18, 1995, as amended (the "Form S-1"),
provides for indemnification (subject to certain limitations) of the Company,
its officers and directors and persons who control the Company within the
meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the
Exchange Act, by certain stockholders of the Company against certain liabilities
arising under the securities laws in connection with a public offering of the
Company's securities conducted pursuant to such agreement.

     Under Section 8 of the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to the
Form S-1, the underwriters of the Company's initial public offering have agreed
to indemnify, under certain conditions, the Company, its directors, certain of
its officers and persons who control the Company within the meaning of the
Securities Act or the Exchange Act against certain liabilities.

     The Company carries directors' and officers' liability insurance covering
its directors and officers.

Item 7.   Exemption from Registration Claimed.
          -----------------------------------

     Not applicable.

Item 8.   Exhibits.
          --------

     The following is a complete list of exhibits filed or incorporated by
reference as part of this registration statement.

Exhibits
--------

     4.1  Trident International, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and
          Enrollment Form with respect thereto.
     5.1  Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP as to the legality of the
          securities being registered.
    23.1  Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP (to be included in Exhibit
          5.1).
    23.2  Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP, Independent Accountants.
    24.1  Powers of Attorney (included on page 4 of this registration
          statement).

Item 9.   Undertakings.
          ------------

     (a)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

               (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
          made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                    (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3)
               of the Securities Act;

                    (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
               arising after the effective date of the registration statement
               (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
               individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change
               in the information set forth in the registration statement; and

                    (iii) To include any material information with respect to
               the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the
               registration statement or any material change to such information
               in the registration statement;

          provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) above
          shall not apply if the information required to be included in a
          post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic
          reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant
          pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are
          incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

               (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
          Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to
          be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
          therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
          deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

                                        2
4

               (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
          amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold
          at the termination of the offering.

     (b)       The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes
          of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of
          the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of
          the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee
          benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange
          Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement
          shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
          securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at
          that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
          thereof.

     (c)       Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
          Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
          persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or
          otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the
          Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against
          public policy as expressed in the Securities Act, and is, therefore,
          unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
          such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses
          incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the
          registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
          proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling
          person in connection with the securities being registered, the
          registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has
          been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
          appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by
          it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
          will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                                        3
5

                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Brookfield, State of Connecticut, on February 26,
1997.

                                TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.

                                By:  /S/ Elaine A. Pullen
                                     -------------------------------------    
                                     Elaine A. Pullen
                                     President and Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that we, the undersigned officers and
directors of Trident International, Inc. hereby severally constitute Elaine A.
Pullen and J. Leo Gagne, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys
with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for us and in our
names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement filed
herewith and any and all amendments to said registration statement, and
generally to do all such things in our names and in our capacities as officers
and directors to enable Trident International, Inc. to comply with the
provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and all requirements of the Securities
and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they
may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration
statement and any and all amendments thereto.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.
SIGNATURE                                   CAPACITY                                     DATE
              ---------                                   --------                                     ----
/S/ Elaine A. Pullen                        Director, President and                              February 26, 1997
------------------------------------        Chief Executive Officer      
Elaine A. Pullen                            (Principal Executive Officer)
                                            

/S/ J. Leo Gagne                            Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial         February 26, 1997
------------------------------------        Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)   
J. Leo Gagne                                

/S/ R. Hugh Van Brimer                      Chairman of the Board of Directors                   February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
R. Hugh Van Brimer

/S/ Robert S. Anderson                      Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
Robert S. Anderson

/S/ Russell J. Greenberg                    Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------       
Russell J. Greenberg

/S/ A. Bruce Johnston                       Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
A. Bruce Johnston

/S/ Norman L. Norris                        Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
Norman L. Norris

/S/ Michael K. Lorelli                      Director                                             February 26, 1997
------------------------------------
Michael K. Lorelli
4
6

                                      EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No.                           Description                                        
-----------                           -----------
4.1    Trident International, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and Enrollment   
           Form with respect thereto.                                                
                                                                                     
    5.1    Opinion of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar  LLP as to the legality of the         
           securities being registered.                                              
                                                                                     
   23.1    Consent of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar  LLP (to be included in Exhibit 5.1).  
                                                                                     
   23.2    Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP, Independent Accountants.                  
                                                                                     
   24.1    Powers of Attorney (included on page 4 of this registration statement).
5