Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Revenue:
Equipment sales		$ 675,451	$ 695,159	$ 770,371
Supplies		262,682	288,103	300,040
Software		348,661	386,506	429,743
Rentals		412,738	441,663	484,629
Financing		366,547	410,035	432,859
Support services		512,820	554,764	625,135
Business services		827,676	801,830	778,727
Total revenue		3,406,575	3,578,060	3,821,504
Costs and expenses:
Cost of equipment sales		331,942	331,069	365,724
Cost of supplies		81,420	88,802	93,675
Cost of software		105,841	113,580	123,760
Cost of rentals		76,040	84,188	97,338
Financing interest expense		55,241	71,791	78,562
Cost of support services		295,685	322,960	377,003
Cost of business services		568,509	546,201	544,729
Selling, general and administrative		1,200,327	1,279,961	1,378,400
Research and development		121,306	110,156	109,931
Restructuring charges and asset impairments, net		63,296	25,782	84,560
Goodwill impairment		171,092	0	0
Interest expense, net		88,970	87,583	90,888
Other expense (income), net		536	(94,838)	45,738
Total costs and expenses		3,160,205	2,967,235	3,390,308
Income from continuing operations before income taxes		246,370	610,825	431,196
Provision for income taxes		131,819	189,778	112,815
Income from continuing operations		114,551	421,047	318,381
(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax		(2,701)	5,271	33,749
Net income		111,850	426,318	352,130
Less: Preferred stock dividends of subsidiaries attributable to noncontrolling interests		19,045	18,375	18,375
Net income - Pitney Bowes Inc.		92,805	407,943	333,755
Amounts attributable to common stockholders:
Net income from continuing operations		95,506	402,672	300,006
(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax		(2,701)	5,271	33,749
Net income - Pitney Bowes Inc.		$ 92,805	$ 407,943	$ 333,755
Basic earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	[1]	$ 0.51	$ 2.01	$ 1.49
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	[1]	(0.01)	0.03	0.17
Net income - Pitney Bowes Inc. (in dollars per share)	[1]	0.49	2.04	1.65
Diluted earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	[1]	0.51	2.00	1.47
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	[1]	(0.01)	0.03	0.17
Net income - Pitney Bowes Inc. (in dollars per share)	[1]	0.49	2.03	1.64
Dividends declared per share of common stock (in dollars per share)		$ 0.75	$ 0.75	$ 0.75000

[1] The sum of the earnings per share amounts may not equal the totals due to rounding.