<PAGE>   1
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)
   [X]          QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                For the quarterly period ended December 31, 1997

                                       OR

                TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

             For the transition period from __________ to _________

                             Commission File Number
                                     0-27678

                           TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

           Delaware                                              06-6403301
(State or other jurisdiction of                               (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)                               Identification No.)

1114 Federal Road, Brookfield, Connecticut                           06804
 (Address of principal executive offices)                         (Zip Code)

                                 (203) 740-9333
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

                                (not applicable)
              (Former name,former address and former fiscal year,
                         if changed since last report)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required
to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes [X]            No [ ]

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant's Common Stock, par value
$.01 per share, as of January 31, 1998, exclusive of treasury shares was
6,649,251.
<PAGE>   2
                  TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

                                      INDEX


                                                                           Page

                          PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.       Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

              Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of
                September 30, 1997 and December 31, 1997...................  3

              Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
                for the three months ended December 31, 1996
                and 1997...................................................  4

              Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
                for the three months ended December 31, 1996 and
                1997.......................................................  5

              Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.........  6

Item 2.       Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
                Condition and Results of Operations........................  8

                           PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 6.       Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K............................. 12


              Signatures................................................... 12



<PAGE>   3
                          PART 1. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

This Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section
27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those set
forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a
difference are discussed in the section entitled "Business Environment and
Future Results" on page 10 of this Form 10-Q.


               ITEM 1. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

                      CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

                                 (000's Omitted)



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                   September 30, 1997  December 31, 1997
                                                                   ------------------  -----------------
                                  ASSETS                                                (Unaudited)

CURRENT ASSETS:

<S>                                                                        <C>           <C>    
     Cash and cash equivalents .....................................       $ 7,065       $ 1,635
     Marketable securities .........................................        12,728        17,234
     Accounts receivable, net ......................................         4,385         4,954
     Inventories ...................................................         1,745         1,999
     Deferred income taxes .........................................           465           456
     Other current assets ..........................................           148           150
                                                                           -------       -------
              Total current assets .................................        26,536        26,428
LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS AND EQUIPMENT,  net .........................         1,924         2,226
DEFERRED INCOME TAXES ..............................................           704           657
INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net .............................................        11,743        11,542
                                                                           -------       -------
              Total assets .........................................       $40,907       $40,853
                                                                           =======       =======
                   LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

CURRENT LIABILITIES:
      Accounts payable .............................................       $ 1,540       $ 1,201
      Accrued expenses .............................................         1,067         1,014
      Income taxes payable .........................................           411         1,276
                                                                           -------       -------
              Total current liabilities ............................         3,018         3,491
                                                                           -------       -------
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY:
      Common stock, $.01 par value; 30,000,000
         shares authorized; 7,167,981 and 7,172,251 ................            72            72
         shares issued at September 30, 1997 and
         December 31, 1997
      Additional paid-in capital ...................................        40,146        40,164
      Retained earnings ............................................         3,346         5,174
                                                                           -------       -------
                                                                            43,564        45,410

      Less - Treasury stock at cost, 345,000 and 510,000 shares
          at  September 30, 1997 and December 31, 1997, respectively         5,675         8,048
                                                                           -------       -------
              Total stockholders' equity ...........................        37,889        37,362
                                                                           -------       -------
              Total liabilities and stockholders equity ............       $40,907       $40,853
                                                                           =======       =======
</TABLE>

                             See accompanying notes

                                       3
<PAGE>   4
                  TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                     (000's Omitted, except per share data)
                                   (Unaudited)







<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                Three Months Ended
                                                                ------------------
                                                      December 31, 1996     December 31, 1997
                                                      -----------------     -----------------
<S>                                                     <C>                    <C>        
NET SALES ...................................           $     6,544            $     7,757
COST OF SALES ...............................                 2,220                  2,824
                                                        -----------            -----------
  Gross profit ..............................                 4,324                  4,933
                                                        -----------            -----------

OPERATING EXPENSES:
  Marketing and selling .....................                   441                    709
  Research and development ..................                   612                    860
  General and administrative ................                   478                    536
  Amortization of intangibles ...............                   201                    201
                                                        -----------            -----------
    Total operating expenses ................                 1,732                  2,306
                                                        -----------            -----------
      Operating income ......................                 2,592                  2,627

OTHER INCOME:
  Interest income ...........................                  (236)                  (275)
                                                        -----------            -----------
    Income before income taxes ..............                 2,828                  2,902
PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES ..................                 1,089                  1,074
                                                        -----------            -----------
NET INCOME ..................................           $     1,739            $     1,828
                                                        ===========            ===========

BASIC EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE .............           $      0.25            $      0.27
                                                        ===========            ===========
WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON SHARES
  OUTSTANDING FOR  BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE .             7,022,221              6,736,820
                                                        ===========            ===========

DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE ...........           $      0.24            $      0.27
                                                        ===========            ===========
WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON SHARES
  OUTSTANDING FOR DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE              7,219,985              6,828,947
                                                        ===========            ===========
</TABLE>
     


                             See accompanying notes.


                                       4
<PAGE>   5
                  TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                                 (000's Omitted)
                                   (Unaudited)


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                         Three Months Ended
                                                                                         ------------------
                                                                               December 31, 1996    December 31, 1997
                                                                               -----------------    -----------------
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
<S>                                                                                <C>                 <C>     
   Net income ..........................................................           $  1,739            $  1,828
   Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
     activities:
   Depreciation and amortization .......................................                278                 306
   Deferred income taxes ...............................................                 40                  56
   Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
      Accounts receivable, net .........................................                316                (569)
      Inventories ......................................................               (351)               (254)
      Other current assets .............................................                 81                  (2)
      Accounts payable and accrued expenses ............................               (403)               (392)
      Income taxes payable .............................................                802                 865
                                                                                   --------            --------
          Net cash provided by operating activities ....................              2,502               1,838
                                                                                   --------            --------
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
   Purchases of  marketable securities,  net ...........................                 --              (4,506)
   Purchases of leasehold improvements and equipment, net ..............                (83)               (407)
                                                                                   --------            --------
          Net cash used in investing activities ........................                (83)             (4,913)
                                                                                   --------            --------
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
   Proceeds from issuance of common stock ..............................                 --                  15
   Proceeds from exercise of warrants and options ......................                 --                   3
   Purchases of treasury stock .........................................                 --              (2,373)
                                                                                   --------            --------
          Net cash used in financing activities ........................                 --              (2,355)
                                                                                   --------            --------
INCREASE  (DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS ......................              2,419              (5,430)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period .........................             17,349               7,065
                                                                                   --------            --------
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period ...............................           $ 19,768            $  1,635
                                                                                   ========            ========
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
   Cash paid during the period for-
   Income taxes ........................................................           $    247            $    153
                                                                                   ========            ========
</TABLE>

                            See accompanying notes.

                                       5
<PAGE>   6
                  TRIDENT INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

              NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


1.     Business:

          Trident International, Inc. (the Company) designs, manufactures and
       markets impulse ink jet subsystems, including printheads, inks and other
       consumables, and related components for the industrial market. The
       Company markets its products worldwide principally to original equipment
       manufacturers (OEMs), who integrate the products into systems which are
       then sold to end-users directly or via distributors. The largest market
       segment currently addressed by the Company's products is that of printing
       onto shipping cartons. Other industrial market segments in which the
       Company's products are currently being utilized include check coding,
       addressing and imprinting business forms, postal bar coding and stamp
       cancellation and plotting garment patterns.

          The interim financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting
       of normal recurring adjustments) which are, in the opinion of management,
       necessary to a fair statement of the results for the interim periods
       presented. These interim financial statements should be read in
       conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in the
       Company's Form 10-K.

          The foregoing interim results are not necessarily indicative of the
       results of operations for the full fiscal year ending September 30, 1998.


2.     Inventories:

          Inventories consisted of the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                          September 30,     December 31,
                                              1997             1997
                                             ------           ------
<S>                                          <C>              <C>   
                   Raw materials             $  943           $1,299
                   Work-in process              511              450
                   Finished goods               291              250
                                             ------           ------
                                             $1,745           $1,999
                                             ======           ======
</TABLE>




3.     Contingency:

          In connection with the prior acquisition (Acquisition), the Company
       undertook an environmental compliance audit, which identified certain
       environmental deficiencies on properties leased by the Company. The site
       of one of the Company's leased facilities was contaminated due to prior
       uses by a prior occupant and may require remedial action. Although the
       Company obtained an indemnification agreement in connection with the
       Acquisition with respect to such prior contamination, if the Company is
       found to be liable as a result of any contamination of the site, there
       can be no assurance that such indemnification will be available or that,
       if available, it will be sufficient. While the ultimate results of future
       claims, if any, against the Company with regard to these matters cannot
       be determined, management does not anticipate that these matters will
       have a material adverse impact on the consolidated results of operations
       or financial position of the Company.

                                       6
<PAGE>   7
4.     Earnings Per Share:

          In February 1997, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)
       issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 128,
       "Earnings Per Share" which superseded Accounting Principles Board Opinion
       No. 15. This new standard replaces the computation of primary earnings
       per share with a new computation of "basic earnings per share". The
       Company has adopted this standard effective October 1, 1997. As a result,
       the Company's recorded earnings per share for the three months ended
       December 31, 1996 were restated from $0.24 per share to $0.25 per share.


                                       7
<PAGE>   8
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS


OVERVIEW

    The Company designs, manufactures and markets impulse ink jet subsystems,
including printheads, inks and other consumables, and related components for the
industrial market. The Company markets its products worldwide principally to
OEMs, who integrate the products into systems which are then sold to end-users
directly or via distributors. The largest market segment currently addressed by
the Company's products is that of printing onto shipping cartons. Other
industrial market segments in which the Company's products are currently being
utilized include check coding, addressing and imprinting business forms, postal
bar coding and stamp cancellation and plotting garment patterns.

    The Predecessor was founded in 1989 as Trident, Inc. Shortly after its
incorporation, a majority interest in the Predecessor was purchased by JWA
through JWA's direct subsidiary, Porelon. At that time, the Predecessor also
obtained the Dataproducts License from Dataproducts Corporation, which gave the
Predecessor exclusive rights to a series of liquid ink jet technology patents
for use in the "industrial marking field." The technology covered by the
Dataproducts License is at the core of the Company's current line of industrial
printing subsystems. In December 1992, Porelon purchased the remaining minority
interests in the Predecessor and the Predecessor became a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Porelon.

    On June 24, 1994, the Company acquired all of the capital stock of the
Predecessor (the 1994 Acquisition). The aggregate cash consideration paid by the
Company in the 1994 Acquisition was approximately $19.9 million, including $1.0
million for a consulting agreement. The 1994 Acquisition has been accounted for
as a purchase and, accordingly, the total consideration has been allocated to
the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair value
at the date of the 1994 Acquisition. The excess of the purchase price over the
fair value of the net assets acquired ($13.9 million) is being amortized over 20
years. Periodically, the Company evaluates the realizability of this asset based
upon expectations of undiscounted cash flows and operating income. Based upon
its most recent analysis, the Company believes that no impairment of the current
net book value of this asset exists. The $1.0 million payment made by the
Company under the consulting agreement was being amortized. The services
provided under the consulting agreement largely related to transition services
in connection with the establishment of stand-alone operations and assistance in
preparation for an initial public offering. Other long-term assets acquired in
the 1994 Acquisition are being depreciated over their respective useful lives of
5 years.

    In February 1996, the Company completed the initial public offering of its
common stock, which provided proceeds, after underwriting discounts and
commissions, of $28.3 million. The Company used approximately $10.8 million to
repay the outstanding indebtedness under its credit facility and $4.5 million to
retire all of the $5.0 million in principal amount of the zero coupon notes
issued by the Company for $1.9 million in connection with the 1994 Acquisition.


                                       8
<PAGE>   9
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

    Net Sales. Net sales increased $1.2 million, or 20% to $7.8 million for the
three months ended December 31, 1997 from $6.5 million for the three months
ended December 31, 1996. Net sales of printheads increased by approximately
$319,000 or 10% in the three months ended December 31, 1997 as compared to the
same quarter in the prior fiscal year due primarily to an increase in printhead
unit sales. Sales of ink products increased by $758,000 or 28% in the three
months ended December 31, 1997 as compared to the same quarter in the prior
fiscal year due to the expanding installed base of printheads. Net sales to
international customers increased by $562,000, or 30% for the three months ended
December 31, 1997 as compared to the three months ended December 31, 1996.

    Gross Profit. Gross profit increased $609,000, or 14% to $4.9 million for
the three months ended December 31, 1997 from $4.3 million for the three months
ended December 31, 1996. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales decreased
from 66 % for the three months ended December 31, 1996 to 63.6% for the three
months ended December 31, 1997. The decrease in gross profit as a percentage of
net sales was due to higher average printhead costs and lower average ink
products selling prices.

    Marketing and Selling Expenses. Marketing and selling expenses increased
$268,000, or 61% to $709,000 for the three months ended December 31, 1997 from
$441,000 for the three months ended December 31, 1996 due to the addition of
sales personnel and associated travel expenses and marketing support. As a
percentage of net sales, these expenses increased to 9.1% for the three months
ended December 31, 1997 from 6.7% for the three months ended December 31, 1996.

    Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses
increased $248,000 , or 40% to $860,000 for the three months ended December 31,
1997 from $612,000 for the three months ended December 31, 1996 due principally
to the addition of engineering personnel as well as increases in research
project materials and supplies. As a percentage of net sales, these expenses
increased to 11% for the three months ended December 31, 1997 from 9.4% for the
three months ended December 31, 1996.

    General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses
increased $58,000, or 12% to $536,000 for the three months ended December 31,
1997 from $478,000 for the three months ended December 31, 1996. The increase in
expenses is due to additional insurance costs, legal fees, and consulting fees.
As a percentage of net sales, these expenses decreased to 6.9% for the three
months ended December 31, 1997 from 7.3% for the three months ended December 31,
1996 due to higher net sales.

    Amortization of Intangibles. The amortization amounts for the excess of
purchase price over the fair market value of net assets acquired and other
intangibles of $201,000 in both periods did not vary in amount for the three
months ended December 31, 1997 as compared to the three months ended December
31, 1997.

    Interest Income. Interest income was $275,000 for the three months ended
December 31, 1997 as compared to $236,000 for the three months ended December
31, 1996.

    Provision for Income Taxes. The provision for income taxes for the three
months ended December 31, 1997 and December 31, 1996 was $1.1 million on income
before income taxes of $2.9 million and $2.8 million respectively. The effective
tax rate for the three months ended December 31, 1997 and December 31, 1996
differed from the statutory rate principally due to the non-deductibility of
amortization costs related to the excess of the purchase price over fair value
of net assets acquired and state income taxes.


                                       9
<PAGE>   10
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND FUTURE RESULTS

    The industrial printing industry is highly competitive and the Company
believes it will need to continue to develop new products and applications in
order to remain competitive. Several of the Company's competitors are larger and
have greater financial, research and development, marketing and other resources
than the Company. For example Nu-Kote Holdings, Inc. released a piezoelectric
printhead intended for use in industrial and other applications. No assurance
can be given that the Company will be able to compete successfully against
current or future competitors or that the competitive pressures faced by the
Company will not adversely affect its results of operations. The Company is
aware that manufacturers of certain ink products are claiming that their inks
could be utilized with certain of the Company's impulse ink jet printheads.
Although the use of such other inks will void the Company's warranties on its
printheads, and could, in the Company's judgment, result in inferior performance
and permanent damage to its printheads, there can be no assurance that the
introduction and sale of such other inks will not have a material adverse effect
on the Company's financial condition or results of operations or that end users
will continue to purchase their ink requirements from the Company.

    The markets for the Company's products are characterized by changing
technology, evolving industry standards and changing customer needs. The
Company's future success will depend in part on its ability to enhance its
current products and to develop new products on a timely and cost-effective
basis in order to respond to technological developments and changing customer
needs. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in
developing new products or enhancing its existing products on a timely or
cost-effective basis.

    New products could also have the effect of decreasing customer demand for
the Company's current products. Although the Company historically has not
experienced any material adverse impact on its business attributable to delays
in the introduction of new products, there can be no assurance that delays will
not occur in the future. The Company expects a component of its growth strategy
to be the acquisition of new technologies, whether through entering into
licensing arrangements, acquiring businesses owning desirable technology, or
otherwise. An example of this is the new solid ink jet printing technology.
There can be no assurance that the Company's investments in new technologies,
including solid ink, will lead to the successful development of new products.

    The Company's net sales are dependent upon the ability of its OEM customers
to develop and sell products that incorporate the Company's impulse ink jet
products. Factors such as economic conditions, inventory positions, limited
marketing resources and other factors affecting these OEM customers could have a
substantial impact upon the Company's financial results. No assurances can be
given that the Company's OEM customers will not experience financial or other
difficulties that could adversely affect their operations and, in turn, the
results of operations of the Company.

    For the three months ended December 31, 1997, approximately 79% of the
Company's net sales were to its top ten OEM customers, while approximately 21%
and 12% of the Company's net sales for this period were to two OEM customers,
Marsh Company and Foxjet, Inc., respectively. A significant diminution in the
sales to or loss of any of the Company's major customers would have a material
adverse effect on the Company's results of operations.

    For the three months ended December 31, 1997, approximately 70% of the
Company's net sales were derived from carton coding and the Company anticipates
that carton coding will continue to account for a substantial portion of the
Company's total net sales. A reduction in demand for carton coding systems would
have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations
and financial condition.

    The Company's annual and quarterly operating results may fluctuate due to
factors such as the timing of new product announcements and introductions by the
Company and its competitors, market acceptance of new or enhanced versions of
the Company's products, changes in product mix, changes in manufacturing costs
or other expenses, competitive pricing pressures, the gain or loss of
significant customers, increased research and development expenses and general
economic conditions.

                                       10
<PAGE>   11
    The trading price of the Company's Common Stock could be subject to wide
fluctuations in response to quarterly variations in the Company's operating
results, shortfalls in such operating results from levels forecast by securities
analysts and other events or factors. In addition, the stock market has, from
time to time, experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often
been unrelated to the operating performance of the affected companies.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

    At December 31, 1997, the Company had working capital of $22.9 million
compared to $23.5 million at September 30, 1997. At December 31, 1997, the
Company has cash and marketable securities of $18.9 million.

    The primary investing and financing cash flows activity for the three months
ended December 31, 1997 was the purchase of treasury stock of $2.4 million. Cash
flows from operations of $1.8 million results primarily from net income of $1.8
million plus depreciation and amortization of $300,000 offset by increases in
inventories and accounts receivable. The Company also has a line of credit with
Fleet Bank, which allows them to borrow up to $1,000,000. There were no
borrowings under this line at December 31, 1997.

    The Company's long-term capital requirements will depend on numerous factors
including the rate at which the Company identifies, evaluates and acquires new
technologies, whether through entering into licensing arrangements or acquiring
businesses, the timing of the expansion of the Company's facilities and the
purchase of additional factory automation equipment. The Company believes that
it has sufficient cash resources to meet its anticipated needs for working
capital and capital expenditures through at least the next 12 months.


                                       11
<PAGE>   12
                           PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

                    ITEM 6. EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K



a.     Exhibits:

The following exhibits are filed as a part of this report:


                  Exhibit Number              Title

                  10.1     Employment Agreement between the company and Elaine
                           A. Pullen dated as of November 1, 1997

                  10.10    Form of Third Amended and Restated 1994 Stock Option
                           and Grant Plan.

                  27       Financial Data Schedule


b.     Reports on Form 8-K:

No reports on Form 8-K were filed during the quarter ended December 31, 1997.


       SIGNATURES

       Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
       registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
       undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

       Dated: February 10, 1998

                                          Trident International, Inc.
                                          (Registrant)



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


                                          /S/  J. Leo Gagne
                                          -------------------------------------
                                          J. Leo Gagne
                                          Vice President and Chief
                                            Financial Officer


                                       12