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Exhibit 31.1





CERTIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302 OF


THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002


CERTIFICATION

I, Robert M. Johnson, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this annual report on
Form 10-K of Bowne & Co., Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this annual report
does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made,
in light of the circumstances under which such statements were
made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
annual report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial
statements, and other financial information included in this
annual report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the
registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this annual
report;

4. The registrants other certifying
officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining
disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act
Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) for the registrant and we
have:



| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
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| | a) designed such disclosure controls and
    procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to
    be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material
    information relating to the registrant, including its
    consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within
    those entities, particularly during the period in which this
    annual report is being prepared;
|
| | b) evaluated the effectiveness of the
    registrants disclosure controls and procedures and
    presented in this annual report our conclusions about the
    effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of
    the end of the period covered by this annual report based on
    such evaluation; and                                                                                        
|
| | c) disclosed in this annual report any
    change in the registrants internal control over financial
    reporting that occurred during the registrants most recent
    fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably
    likely to materially affect, the registrants internal
    control over financial reporting; and                                                                    

5. The registrants other certifying
officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent
evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the
registrants auditors and the audit committee of
registrants board of directors (or persons performing the
equivalent function):



| |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | a) all significant deficiencies and material
    weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over
    financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely
    affect the registrants ability to record, process,
    summarize and report financial data; and
|
| | b) any fraud, whether or not material, that
    involves management or other employees who have a significant
    role in the registrants internal control over financial
    reporting.                                                                                            



| |                                     
| | ------------------------------------
| | /s/     ROBERT M. JOHNSON           
| |                                     
| | Robert M. Johnson                   
| | Chairman of the Board, President and
| | Chief Executive Officer             

Date: March 15, 2004