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                                  EXHIBIT 10.19

                AMENDMENT TO FORM OF SEVERANCE LETTER AGREEMENTS
                  BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND EACH OF ITS OFFICERS


Mr.
ENCAD, Inc.
6059 Cornerstone Court West
San Diego, CA 92121

Dear Mr.

                  We are pleased to inform you that the Company's Board of
Directors has recently approved an amendment to the special severance benefit
program established for you pursuant to your letter agreement with the Company
dated February 19, 1997 (the "Severance Agreement"). The changes which have been
made to your existing Severance Agreement apply only to the severance benefits
to which you may become entitled following a change in control of the Company
and may be summarized as follows:

                           (i) The period of time for which you will be
         protected following a change in control of the Company has been
         increased so that if your employment now terminates under certain
         circumstances within _______ (___) months following a change in
         control, you will be eligible to receive your severance benefits under
         the amended Severance Agreement.

                           (ii) The multiple of salary and bonus to which you
         may become entitled under the amended Severance Agreement as a cash
         severance payment in connection with the termination of your employment
         following a change in control HAS BEEN INCREASED FROM ONE TIMES YOUR
         TOTAL COMPENSATION TO [____] TIMES SUCH TOTAL COMPENSATION AND will now
         be paid to you in a lump sum rather than through a series of payments
         over a one-year period.

                           (iii) There will no longer be a non-compete covenant
         or other restrictive covenants in effect following your termination of
         employment in connection with a change in control of the Company.

                  The purpose of this letter agreement is to set forth those
changes in more detail so that your Severance Agreement will be formally amended
by this new letter agreement. Unless specifically noted in this letter, all of
the terms and conditions of your existing Severance Agreement will be preserved,
and all capitalized terms in this letter agreement will have the same meanings
assigned to those terms in your Severance Agreement as in effect immediately
prior to this amendment.

                  1. The introductory paragraph to Part Three of your existing
Severance Agreement is hereby amended in its entirety to read as follows:

                    PART THREE -- CHANGE IN CONTROL BENEFITS

                  Upon your Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good
         Cause within _____________ (____) months following a Change in Control
         and seven (7) days after your execution of a General Release in favor
         of the Company within three (3) days after such Termination Without
         Cause or Resignation for Good Cause, as the case may be, then (provided
         such General Release is not revoked by you prior to the end of the
         Revocation Period), you shall become entitled to receive the special
         severance benefits provided in this Part Three in substitution of the
         severance benefits set forth in Part Two hereof. However, your
         severance benefits under this Part Three shall be subject to the
         benefit limitation of Paragraph 5 of this Part Three.

                  2. Paragraph 1 of Part Three of your Severance Agreement is
hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:


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                           1. CIC SEVERANCE PAYMENT. You shall be entitled to
         the following CIC Severance Payment:

                           AMOUNT. You shall be entitled to a CIC Severance
         Payment in an amount equal to _____ (__) times your Total Compensation
         determined as of the date of your Termination Without Cause or
         Resignation for Good Cause.

                           FORM. Your CIC Severance Payment will be paid in a
         lump sum payment (subject to all applicable withholding taxes) within
         thirty (30) days after your Termination Without Cause or Resignation
         for Good Cause.

                           OTHER TERMINATIONS. You will not be entitled to
         receive any CIC Severance Payment or any other benefits under this
         letter agreement in the event your employment terminated by reason of
         your death, disability or your Termination for Cause.

                  3. The restrictive covenants set forth in Paragraph 4 of Part
Three of your Severance Agreement will no longer be applicable in the event you
receive benefits under this Part Three following your Termination Without Cause
or Resignation for Good Cause within _________ (_____) months after a Change in
Control.

                  4. Paragraph 7 of Part Four of the existing Severance
Agreement is hereby amended in its entirety to read as follows:

                           7.       ARBITRATION

                           Except for the dispute resolution procedure in
         Paragraph (b) of Section 5 of Part Three of your Severance Agreement,
         any controversy that may arise between you and the Company with respect
         to the construction, interpretation or application of any of the terms,
         provisions or conditions of your Severance Agreement (as amended by
         this letter agreement) or any monetary claim arising from or relating
         to your Severance Agreement will be submitted to final and binding
         arbitration in San Diego, California in accordance with the rules of
         the American Arbitration Association then in effect. The prevailing
         party in the arbitration shall be entitled to the recovery of all
         reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred with respect to the
         arbitration, as awarded by the arbitrator. Both parties understand and
         agree that the arbitration shall be instead of any civil litigation and
         that the arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding to the
         fullest extent permitted by law and enforceable by any court having
         jurisdiction thereof.

                  This letter agreement will be binding upon the Company, its
successors and assigns (including, without limitation, the surviving entity in
any Change in Control) and is to be construed and interpreted under the laws of
the State of California applicable to agreements executed and to be wholly
performed within the State of California.

                  All terms of your February 19, 1997 Severance Agreement shall
remain in full force and effect, except to the extent those terms are expressly
modified by the terms of this letter agreement. Any severance benefits to which
you may become entitled upon the termination of your employment with the Company
will be governed solely by the terms of your Severance Agreement (as modified
hereby).

                  Please indicate your acceptance of the foregoing amendments to
your February 19, 1997 Severance Agreement by signing the enclosed copy of this
letter and returning it to the Company not later than February 4, 2000.

                                           Very truly yours,

                                           ENCAD, INC.


                                           By:       /s/  David A. Purcell
                                                     ---------------------------

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                                           Title:    Chairman, President and CEO




                                   ACCEPTANCE

                  I hereby agree to and accept all the modifications made by the
terms and provisions of the foregoing letter agreement to the severance benefits
to which I may become entitled under my existing Severance Agreement upon a
termination of my employment under certain prescribed circumstances following a
Change in Control of the Company.

Dated:                    , 2000
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                                         Signature:
                                                     ---------------------------
                                         Printed Name:
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