Bowne & Co (BNE) 10-Q 2003 Q3 Quarterly report

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. Section 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

     In connection with the Quarterly Report of Bowne & Co., Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ending September 30, 2003 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Robert M. Johnson, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

     1.     The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

     2.     The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company.

/s/ ROBERT M. JOHNSON

Robert M. Johnson

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

November 13, 2003

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