Description of Business and Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation	Description of Business and Basis of Presentation Pitney Bowes Inc. and its subsidiaries (we, us, our or the company) is a global provider of technology solutions helping small, mid-sized and large firms connect to customers to facilitate and simplify commerce, build loyalty and grow revenue. We deliver our solutions on open platforms to best organize, analyze and apply public and proprietary data to two-way customer communications. We offer solutions for direct mail, transactional mail, customer engagement management and analytics and ecommerce parcel management, along with digital channel messaging for the Web, email and mobile applications. We conduct our business activities in five reportable segments. See Note 2 for information regarding our reportable segments. We have prepared the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial information and the instructions to Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In addition, the December 31, 2013 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. In management's opinion, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary to fairly state our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the year ending December 31, 2014. In April 2014, Pitney Bowes of Canada Ltd. (PB Canada), a wholly owned subsidiary, completed the sale of its Document Imaging Solutions (DIS) business, which consisted of hardware (copiers and printers) and document management software solutions to Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd. (Konica Minolta) and the related lease portfolio to a business equipment leasing services provider in two separate transactions. The operating results for DIS, originally included as part of the North America Mailing segment, have been classified as discontinued operations for all periods presented. The cash flows from discontinued operations are not separately stated or reclassified in the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. These statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 15, 2014. New Accounting Pronouncements In August 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements — Going Concern: Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. This standard requires management to evaluate the entity's ability to continue as a going concern for 12 months following the issuance of the financial statements and provide related footnote disclosures. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. We do not believe this standard will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements or disclosures. In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The new standard requires companies to recognize revenue for the transfer of goods and services to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration the company expects to receive in exchange for those goods and services. The new standard will also result in enhanced disclosures about revenue. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period, and can be adopted either retrospectively or as a cumulative-effect adjustment. Early adoption is prohibited. We are assessing the impact the adoption of this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, which changes the criteria for determining which disposals can be presented as discontinued operations and modifies the related disclosure requirements. The standard is effective on January 1, 2015, but early adoption is permitted for disposals or classifications of assets held for sale that have not been reported in financial statements previously issued or available for issuance. We elected to adopt this standard effective April 1, 2014. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

Pitney Bowes Inc. and its subsidiaries (we, us, our or the company) is a global provider of technology solutions helping small, mid-sized and large firms connect to customers to facilitate and simplify commerce, build loyalty and grow revenue. We deliver our solutions on open platforms to best organize, analyze and apply public and proprietary data to two-way customer communications. We offer solutions for direct mail, transactional mail, customer engagement management and analytics and ecommerce parcel management, along with digital channel messaging for the Web, email and mobile applications. We conduct our business activities in five reportable segments. See Note 2 for information regarding our reportable segments.

We have prepared the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial information and the instructions to Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In addition, the December 31, 2013 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. In management's opinion, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary to fairly state our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the year ending December 31, 2014.

In April 2014, Pitney Bowes of Canada Ltd. (PB Canada), a wholly owned subsidiary, completed the sale of its Document Imaging Solutions (DIS) business, which consisted of hardware (copiers and printers) and document management software solutions to Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd. (Konica Minolta) and the related lease portfolio to a business equipment leasing services provider in two separate transactions. The operating results for DIS, originally included as part of the North America Mailing segment, have been classified as discontinued operations for all periods presented. The cash flows from discontinued operations are not separately stated or reclassified in the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

These statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 15, 2014.

New Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements — Going Concern: Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. This standard requires management to evaluate the entity's ability to continue as a going concern for 12 months following the issuance of the financial statements and provide related footnote disclosures. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. We do not believe this standard will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements or disclosures.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The new standard requires companies to recognize revenue for the transfer of goods and services to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration the company expects to receive in exchange for those goods and services. The new standard will also result in enhanced disclosures about revenue. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period, and can be adopted either retrospectively or as a cumulative-effect adjustment. Early adoption is prohibited. We are assessing the impact the adoption of this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, which changes the criteria for determining which disposals can be presented as discontinued operations and modifies the related disclosure requirements. The standard is effective on January 1, 2015, but early adoption is permitted for disposals or classifications of assets held for sale that have not been reported in financial statements previously issued or available for issuance. We elected to adopt this standard effective April 1, 2014. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.