<PAGE>
       As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 24, 1997
                             Registration No. 333-           

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

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                          ____________________________
            
                                PRINTWARE, INC.
              (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

             Minnesota                                 41-1522267
      (State or other jurisdiction of              (I.R.S. Employer
       incorporation or organization)             Identification No.)

                         1270 Eagan Industrial Road
                            St. Paul, MN   55121
                 (Address of Principal Executive Offices and zip code)
                         ____________________________

                               PRINTWARE, INC.
                      1996 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                         (Full title of the Plans)
                         ____________________________
 
                            Daniel A. Baker, Ph.D.
                                  President
                               Printware, Inc.
                         1270 Eagan Industrial Road
                            St. Paul, MN   55121
                               (612) 456-1400
                        (Name, address, including zip
                          code and telephone number 
                             of agent for service)

This Form S-8 consists of 9 pages (including exhibits).  The index to 
exhibits is set forth on page 4.
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                              CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

                     Proposed        Proposed
Title of              Maximum         Maximum
Securities            Amount         Offering      Aggregate     Amount of
to be                to be             Price       Offering    Registration
Registered          Registered       Per Share      Price          Fee
___________         __________       _________     _________   ____________
<S>                 <C>              <C>           <C>         <C>

Common Stock,       100,000 shares   $3.875        $387,500    $117.43
no par value
     Total


(1)   Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the registration 
fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and (h) and based upon the closing sale 
price of the Company's Common Stock on the Nasdaq National Market on 
April 23, 1997.

</TABLE>
<PAGE>

                                    PART I

     Pursuant to the Note to Part I of Form S-8, the information 
required by Items 1 and 2 of Form S-8 is not filed as a part of this 
Registration Statement.

                                    PART II

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission are hereby incorporated by reference herein:

     (a)  The Annual Report of the Company on Form 10-K for the fiscal 
year ended December 31, 1996.

     (b) The Definitive Proxy Statement dated March 7, 1997 for the Meeting 
of Shareholders held on April 17, 1997.

     (c) The description of the Company's Common Stock as set forth in the 
Company's Form S-1 Registration Statement dated June 27, 1996 (Registration 
No. 333-03629), including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of 
updating such description.

     All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to 
Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates 
that all securities offered have been sold or which 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.

     The Company's Bylaws provide that the Company shall indemnify its 
officers, directors and employees in accordance with, and to the fullest 
extent permitted by, the provisions of the Minnesota Business 
Corporation Act, as it may be amended from time to time.  

     Section 302A.521 of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act provides 
that a corporation shall 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 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, if, with respect to the acts 
or omissions of the person complained of in the proceeding, the person:

     (1)  Has not been indemnified by another organization or employee 
benefit plan for the same 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;
<PAGE>
     (2)   Acted in good faith;

     (3)   Received no improper personal benefit and section 302A.255 
(Director Conflicts of Interest), if applicable, has been satisfied;

     (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 official  
capacity described in subdivision 1, paragraph (c), clause (1) or (2), 
reasonably believed that the conduct was in the best interests of the 
corporation, or in the case of acts or omissions occurring in the 
official capacity described in subdivision 1, paragraph (c), clause (3), 
reasonably believed that the conduct was not opposed to the best 
interests of the corporation.  If the person's acts or omissions 
complained of in the proceeding relate to conduct as a director, 
officer, trustee, employee, or agent of an employee benefit plan, the 
conduct is not considered to be opposed to the best interests of the 
corporation if the person reasonably believed that the conduct was in 
the best interests of the participants or beneficiaries of the employee 
benefit plan.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

     Not applicable.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.
     4.1     Printware, Inc. 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan 
             incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company's 
             Registration Statement on Form S-1, Commission File No. 
             333-03629)
     5.1     Opinion and Consent of Lindquist & Vennum P.L.L.P.
    23.1     Consent of Lindquist & Vennum (included in Exhibit 5.1)
    23.2     Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors
<PAGE>
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 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, represents 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 paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not 
apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8 and the 
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by 
those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the 
registrant 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.

     (b)   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 
therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be 
deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     (h)   Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the 
Securities Act of 1933 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 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.
<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 the City of Eagan, State of 
Minnesota, on April 24, 1997.

                                          PRINTWARE, INC.


                                          By  /s/ Daniel A. Baker
                                          _____________________________
                                          Daniel A. Baker, Ph.D., 
                                          President
<PAGE>
                           POWER OF ATTORNEY

     The undersigned officers and directors of Printware, Inc. hereby 
constitute and appoint Daniel A. Baker  and Thomas W. Petschauer, or 
either of them, with power to act one without the other, our true and 
lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and 
resubstitution, for us and in our stead, in any and all capacities to 
sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to 
this Registration Statement and all documents relating thereto, and to 
file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in 
connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 
granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority 
to do and perform each and every act and thing necessary or advisable to 
be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes 
as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all 
that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitutes, may lawfully 
do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as 
amended, this registration statement has been signed below on April 24, 
1997 by the following persons in the capacities indicated.

Signature                          Title

 /s/ Daniel A. Baker
______________________________     President, Chief Executive Officer and 
Daniel A. Baker, Ph.D.             Director (principal executive officer)

 /s/ Thomas W. Petschauer
______________________________     Executive Vice President and Chief Thomas 
Thomas W. Petschauer               Financial Officer (principal financial 
                                   and accounting officer)

 /s/ Allen L. Taylor
______________________________     Director
Allen L. Taylor, Ph.D.

 /s/ Donald V. Mager
______________________________     Director
Donald V. Mager

 /s/ Brian D. Shiffman
______________________________     Director and Secretary
Brian D. Shiffman

 /s/ Charles M. Osborne
______________________________     Director
Charles M. Osborne

 /s/ Michael F. Reeves
______________________________     Director
Michael F. Reeves
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{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "PRINTWARE INC", "cik": "0000801529", "assigned-sic": "3577", "irs-number": "411522267", "state-of-incorporation": "MN", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-25813", "film-number": "97587060"}, "business-address": {"street1": "1270", "street2": "1270 EAGAN INDUSTRIAL ROAD", "city": "ST PAUL", "state": "MN", "zip": "55121", "phone": "6124561400"}}
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 24, 1997
                             Registration No. 333-           

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

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                          ____________________________
            
                                PRINTWARE, INC.
              (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

             Minnesota                                 41-1522267
      (State or other jurisdiction of              (I.R.S. Employer
       incorporation or organization)             Identification No.)

                         1270 Eagan Industrial Road
                            St. Paul, MN   55121
                 (Address of Principal Executive Offices and zip code)
                         ____________________________

                               PRINTWARE, INC.
                      1996 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                         (Full title of the Plans)
                         ____________________________
 
                            Daniel A. Baker, Ph.D.
                                  President
                               Printware, Inc.
                         1270 Eagan Industrial Road
                            St. Paul, MN   55121
                               (612) 456-1400
                        (Name, address, including zip
                          code and telephone number 
                             of agent for service)

This Form S-8 consists of 9 pages (including exhibits).  The index to 
exhibits is set forth on page 4.
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

                     Proposed        Proposed
Title of              Maximum         Maximum
Securities            Amount         Offering      Aggregate     Amount of
to be                to be             Price       Offering    Registration
Registered          Registered       Per Share      Price          Fee
___________         __________       _________     _________   ____________
Common Stock,       100,000 shares   $3.875        $387,500    $117.43
no par value
     Total

(1)   Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the registration 
fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and (h) and based upon the closing sale 
price of the Company's Common Stock on the Nasdaq National Market on 
April 23, 1997.
PART I

     Pursuant to the Note to Part I of Form S-8, the information 
required by Items 1 and 2 of Form S-8 is not filed as a part of this 
Registration Statement.

                                    PART II

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission are hereby incorporated by reference herein:

     (a)  The Annual Report of the Company on Form 10-K for the fiscal 
year ended December 31, 1996.

     (b) The Definitive Proxy Statement dated March 7, 1997 for the Meeting 
of Shareholders held on April 17, 1997.

     (c) The description of the Company's Common Stock as set forth in the 
Company's Form S-1 Registration Statement dated June 27, 1996 (Registration 
No. 333-03629), including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of 
updating such description.

     All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to 
Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates 
that all securities offered have been sold or which 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.

     The Company's Bylaws provide that the Company shall indemnify its 
officers, directors and employees in accordance with, and to the fullest 
extent permitted by, the provisions of the Minnesota Business 
Corporation Act, as it may be amended from time to time.  

     Section 302A.521 of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act provides 
that a corporation shall 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 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, if, with respect to the acts 
or omissions of the person complained of in the proceeding, the person:

     (1)  Has not been indemnified by another organization or employee 
benefit plan for the same 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;
(2)   Acted in good faith;

     (3)   Received no improper personal benefit and section 302A.255 
(Director Conflicts of Interest), if applicable, has been satisfied;

     (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 official  
capacity described in subdivision 1, paragraph (c), clause (1) or (2), 
reasonably believed that the conduct was in the best interests of the 
corporation, or in the case of acts or omissions occurring in the 
official capacity described in subdivision 1, paragraph (c), clause (3), 
reasonably believed that the conduct was not opposed to the best 
interests of the corporation.  If the person's acts or omissions 
complained of in the proceeding relate to conduct as a director, 
officer, trustee, employee, or agent of an employee benefit plan, the 
conduct is not considered to be opposed to the best interests of the 
corporation if the person reasonably believed that the conduct was in 
the best interests of the participants or beneficiaries of the employee 
benefit plan.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

     Not applicable.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.
     4.1     Printware, Inc. 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan 
             incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company's 
             Registration Statement on Form S-1, Commission File No. 
             333-03629)
     5.1     Opinion and Consent of Lindquist & Vennum P.L.L.P.
    23.1     Consent of Lindquist & Vennum (included in Exhibit 5.1)
    23.2     Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors
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 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, represents 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 paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not 
apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8 and the 
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by 
those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the 
registrant 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.

     (b)   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 
therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be 
deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     (h)   Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the 
Securities Act of 1933 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 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.
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 Eagan, State of 
Minnesota, on April 24, 1997.

                                          PRINTWARE, INC.

                                          By  /s/ Daniel A. Baker
                                          _____________________________
                                          Daniel A. Baker, Ph.D., 
                                          President
POWER OF ATTORNEY

     The undersigned officers and directors of Printware, Inc. hereby 
constitute and appoint Daniel A. Baker  and Thomas W. Petschauer, or 
either of them, with power to act one without the other, our true and 
lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and 
resubstitution, for us and in our stead, in any and all capacities to 
sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to 
this Registration Statement and all documents relating thereto, and to 
file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in 
connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 
granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority 
to do and perform each and every act and thing necessary or advisable to 
be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes 
as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all 
that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitutes, may lawfully 
do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as 
amended, this registration statement has been signed below on April 24, 
1997 by the following persons in the capacities indicated.

Signature                          Title

 /s/ Daniel A. Baker
______________________________     President, Chief Executive Officer and 
Daniel A. Baker, Ph.D.             Director (principal executive officer)

 /s/ Thomas W. Petschauer
______________________________     Executive Vice President and Chief Thomas 
Thomas W. Petschauer               Financial Officer (principal financial 
                                   and accounting officer)

 /s/ Allen L. Taylor
______________________________     Director
Allen L. Taylor, Ph.D.

 /s/ Donald V. Mager
______________________________     Director
Donald V. Mager

 /s/ Brian D. Shiffman
______________________________     Director and Secretary
Brian D. Shiffman

 /s/ Charles M. Osborne
______________________________     Director
Charles M. Osborne

 /s/ Michael F. Reeves
______________________________     Director
Michael F. Reeves