<PAGE>
 
   As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 1995
                                                       Registration No. 33-_____

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

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549
                                _______________

                                   FORM S-8
                            REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                       Under The Securities Act of 1933
                                _______________

                       APERTUS TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                                   Minnesota
        (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

                                  41-1349953
                     (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

                            7275 Flying Cloud Drive
                        Eden Prairie, Minnesota  55344
              (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

      Apertus Technologies Incorporated 1995 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
                           (Full title of the plan)

  Julie Cummins Brady, Esq.             Copy to:  Jay L. Swanson, Esq.
  Apertus Technologies Incorporated               Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P.
  7275 Flying Cloud Drive                         220 South Sixth Street
  Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344                   Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
 
                                (612) 828-0300
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
======================================================================================= 
                                               Proposed       Proposed
           Title of                            maximum        maximum
          securities             Amount to     offering      aggregate      Amount of
             to be                   be       price per       offering     registration
          registered             Registered    share(1)       price(1)         fee
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                              <C>          <C>           <C>            <C>
Common Stock ($.05 par value)     200,000     $   7.625     $  1,525,000    $     526
 
=======================================================================================
</TABLE>

(1)  Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(c) solely for the purpose of calculating the
     registration fee, based upon the average of the bid and asked prices of the
     Common Stock as reported by the Nasdaq Stock Market on December 18, 1995
<PAGE>
 
                                   PART II.
              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


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

          The following documents, which have been filed by Apertus Technologies
Incorporated (the "Company") with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement, as of their respective
dates:

           (a)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
      ended April 2, 1995.

           (b)  The Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters
      ended July 2, 1995 and October 1, 1995.

           (c)  The Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 17, 1995.

           (d)  The description of the Company's capital stock contained in a
      Form 8-A filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
      under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any amendment
      or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

          All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c),
14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, subsequent to
the date hereof and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which
indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters
all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference
herein and to be a part hereof from the respective dates of filing of such
documents.

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

          Section 302A.521, subd. 2, of the Minnesota Statutes requires the
Company to indemnify a person made or threatened to be made a party to a
proceeding by reason of the former or present official capacity of the person
with respect to the Company, against judgments, penalties, fines, including,
without limitation, excise taxes assessed against the person with respect to an
employee benefit plan, settlements, and reasonable expenses, including
attorneys' fees and disbursements, incurred by the person in connection with the
proceeding with respect to the same acts or omissions if such person (1) has not
been indemnified by another organization or employee benefit plan for the same
judgments, penalties or fines; (2) acted in good faith; (3) received no improper
personal benefit, and statutory procedure has been followed in the case of any
conflict of interest by a director; (4) in the case of a criminal proceeding,
had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct  was unlawful; and (5) in the
case of acts or omissions occurring in the person's performance in the official
capacity of director or, for a person not a director, in the official capacity
of officer, board committee member or employee, reasonably believed that the
conduct was in the best interests of the Company, or, in the case of performance
by a director, officer or employee of the Company involving service as a
director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or agent of another organization
or employee benefit plan, reasonably believed that the conduct was not opposed
to the best interests of the Company.  In addition, Section 302A.521, subd. 3,
requires payment by the Company, upon written request, of reasonable expenses in
advance of final disposition of the proceeding in certain instances.  A decision
as to required indemnification is made by a disinterested majority of the Board
of Directors present at a meeting at which a disinterested quorum is present, or
by a designated committee of the Board, by special legal counsel, by the
shareholders, or by a court.

          Provisions regarding indemnification of officers and directors of the
Company are contained in Article X of the Company's Restated Articles of
Incorporation and Article VI of the Company's Bylaws.

                                      -2-
<PAGE>
 
Item 8.  Exhibits.
         -------- 

          4     Shareholder Rights Plan (a)

          5     Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P. re: legality

          23.1  Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors

          23.2  Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors

          23.3  Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P. (included in Exhibit 5 above)

          24    Power of Attorney (included in the signature page hereto)
_________________________

     (a) Incorporated by reference to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K
         for the fiscal year ended March 29, 1992.

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

A.  Post-Effective Amendments
    -------------------------

          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 of 1933;

              (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;

              (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 subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above will not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
subparagraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the issuer pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

          (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, 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.

          (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.

                                      -3-
<PAGE>
 
B.  Subsequent Documents Incorporated by Reference.
    ---------------------------------------------- 

          The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered thereby, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C.  Claims for Indemnification.
    -------------------------- 

          Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, 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 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 other
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 Act and
will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                                      -4-
<PAGE>
 
                                  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 Eden Prairie, Minnesota on December 21, 1995.

                            APERTUS TECHNOLOGIES, INCORPORATED

                            By      /s/ Robert D. Gordon
                              ----------------------------------------
                              Robert D. Gordon, Chairman of the Board,
                              Chief Executive Officer and President

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on December 21, 1995.  Each person whose signature to this
Registration Statement on Form S-8 appears below hereby constitutes and appoints
Robert D. Gordon and Julie Cummins Brady, and each of them, as his or her true
and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution, to sign
on his or her behalf individually and in the capacity stated below and to
perform any acts necessary to be done in order to file all amendments to this
Registration Statement on Form S-8, and any and all instruments or documents
filed as part of or in connection with this Registration Statement on Form S-8
or the amendments thereto and each of the undersigned does hereby ratify and
confirm all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitutes,
shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Signatures                       Title
     ----------                       -----

/s/ Robert D. Gordon                  Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive
- -----------------------------         Officer, President and Director (principal
Robert D. Gordon                      executive officer)
 
/s/ Sue A. Hogue                      Chief Financial Officer
- -----------------------------         (principal financial officer)
Sue A. Hogue                                   
 
/s/ Nicholas J. Covatta, Jr.          Director
- -----------------------------
Nicholas J. Covatta, Jr.
 
/s/ Robert W. Fischer                 Director
- -----------------------------
Robert W. Fischer
 
/s/ Arch J. McGill                    Director
- -----------------------------
Arch J. McGill
 
/s/ Clarence W. Spangle               Director
- -----------------------------
Clarence W. Spangle

/s/ George E. Hubman                  Director
- -----------------------------
George E. Hubman

                                      -5-
<PAGE>
 
                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------


Exhibit                                                                     Page
- -------                                                                     ----


5         Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P. re: legality..............

23.1      Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors.............

23.2      Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors.........

                                      -6-
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 14624}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "APERTUS TECHNOLOGIES INC", "cik": "0000351139", "assigned-sic": "3577", "irs-number": "411349953", "state-of-incorporation": "MN", "fiscal-year-end": "0331"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "033-65369", "film-number": "95604187"}, "business-address": {"street1": "7275 FLYING CLOUD DR", "city": "EDEN PRAIRIE", "state": "MN", "zip": "55344", "phone": "6128280300"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "7275 FLYING CLOUD DRIVE", "city": "EDEN PRAIRIE", "state": "MN", "zip": "55344"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "LEE DATA CORP", "date-changed": "19900815"}}
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 1995
                                                       Registration No. 33-_____

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

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549
                                _______________

                                   FORM S-8
                            REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                       Under The Securities Act of 1933
                                _______________

                       APERTUS TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                                   Minnesota
        (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

                                  41-1349953
                     (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

                            7275 Flying Cloud Drive
                        Eden Prairie, Minnesota  55344
              (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

      Apertus Technologies Incorporated 1995 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
                           (Full title of the plan)

  Julie Cummins Brady, Esq.             Copy to:  Jay L. Swanson, Esq.
  Apertus Technologies Incorporated               Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P.
  7275 Flying Cloud Drive                         220 South Sixth Street
  Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344                   Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
 
                                (612) 828-0300
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
======================================================================================= 
                                               Proposed       Proposed
           Title of                            maximum        maximum
          securities             Amount to     offering      aggregate      Amount of
             to be                   be       price per       offering     registration
          registered             Registered    share(1)       price(1)         fee
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock ($.05 par value)     200,000     $   7.625     $  1,525,000    $     526
 
=======================================================================================
(1)  Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(c) solely for the purpose of calculating the
     registration fee, based upon the average of the bid and asked prices of the
     Common Stock as reported by the Nasdaq Stock Market on December 18, 1995
PART II.
              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

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

          The following documents, which have been filed by Apertus Technologies
Incorporated (the "Company") with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement, as of their respective
dates:

           (a)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
      ended April 2, 1995.

           (b)  The Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters
      ended July 2, 1995 and October 1, 1995.

           (c)  The Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 17, 1995.

           (d)  The description of the Company's capital stock contained in a
      Form 8-A filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
      under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any amendment
      or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

          All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c),
14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, subsequent to
the date hereof and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which
indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters
all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference
herein and to be a part hereof from the respective dates of filing of such
documents.

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

          Section 302A.521, subd. 2, of the Minnesota Statutes requires the
Company to indemnify a person made or threatened to be made a party to a
proceeding by reason of the former or present official capacity of the person
with respect to the Company, against judgments, penalties, fines, including,
without limitation, excise taxes assessed against the person with respect to an
employee benefit plan, settlements, and reasonable expenses, including
attorneys' fees and disbursements, incurred by the person in connection with the
proceeding with respect to the same acts or omissions if such person (1) has not
been indemnified by another organization or employee benefit plan for the same
judgments, penalties or fines; (2) acted in good faith; (3) received no improper
personal benefit, and statutory procedure has been followed in the case of any
conflict of interest by a director; (4) in the case of a criminal proceeding,
had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct  was unlawful; and (5) in the
case of acts or omissions occurring in the person's performance in the official
capacity of director or, for a person not a director, in the official capacity
of officer, board committee member or employee, reasonably believed that the
conduct was in the best interests of the Company, or, in the case of performance
by a director, officer or employee of the Company involving service as a
director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or agent of another organization
or employee benefit plan, reasonably believed that the conduct was not opposed
to the best interests of the Company.  In addition, Section 302A.521, subd. 3,
requires payment by the Company, upon written request, of reasonable expenses in
advance of final disposition of the proceeding in certain instances.  A decision
as to required indemnification is made by a disinterested majority of the Board
of Directors present at a meeting at which a disinterested quorum is present, or
by a designated committee of the Board, by special legal counsel, by the
shareholders, or by a court.

          Provisions regarding indemnification of officers and directors of the
Company are contained in Article X of the Company's Restated Articles of
Incorporation and Article VI of the Company's Bylaws.

                                      -2-
Item 8.  Exhibits.
         -------- 

          4     Shareholder Rights Plan (a)

          5     Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P. re: legality

          23.1  Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors

          23.2  Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors

          23.3  Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P. (included in Exhibit 5 above)

          24    Power of Attorney (included in the signature page hereto)
_________________________

     (a) Incorporated by reference to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K
         for the fiscal year ended March 29, 1992.

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

A.  Post-Effective Amendments
    -------------------------

          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 of 1933;

              (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;

              (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 subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above will not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
subparagraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the issuer pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

          (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, 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.

          (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.

                                      -3-
B.  Subsequent Documents Incorporated by Reference.
    ---------------------------------------------- 

          The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered thereby, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C.  Claims for Indemnification.
    -------------------------- 

          Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, 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 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 other
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 Act and
will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                                      -4-
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 Eden Prairie, Minnesota on December 21, 1995.

                            APERTUS TECHNOLOGIES, INCORPORATED

                            By      /s/ Robert D. Gordon
                              ----------------------------------------
                              Robert D. Gordon, Chairman of the Board,
                              Chief Executive Officer and President

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on December 21, 1995.  Each person whose signature to this
Registration Statement on Form S-8 appears below hereby constitutes and appoints
Robert D. Gordon and Julie Cummins Brady, and each of them, as his or her true
and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution, to sign
on his or her behalf individually and in the capacity stated below and to
perform any acts necessary to be done in order to file all amendments to this
Registration Statement on Form S-8, and any and all instruments or documents
filed as part of or in connection with this Registration Statement on Form S-8
or the amendments thereto and each of the undersigned does hereby ratify and
confirm all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitutes,
shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Signatures                       Title
     ----------                       -----

/s/ Robert D. Gordon                  Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive
- -----------------------------         Officer, President and Director (principal
Robert D. Gordon                      executive officer)
 
/s/ Sue A. Hogue                      Chief Financial Officer
- -----------------------------         (principal financial officer)
Sue A. Hogue                                   
 
/s/ Nicholas J. Covatta, Jr.          Director
- -----------------------------
Nicholas J. Covatta, Jr.
 
/s/ Robert W. Fischer                 Director
- -----------------------------
Robert W. Fischer
 
/s/ Arch J. McGill                    Director
- -----------------------------
Arch J. McGill
 
/s/ Clarence W. Spangle               Director
- -----------------------------
Clarence W. Spangle

/s/ George E. Hubman                  Director
- -----------------------------
George E. Hubman

                                      -5-
EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------

Exhibit                                                                     Page
- -------                                                                     ----

5         Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P. re: legality..............

23.1      Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors.............

23.2      Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors.........

                                      -6-