Retirement Plans and Postretirement Medical Benefits (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Eligibility age for retiree medical benefits	55 years
Percent of all foreign plan assets	75.00%
Fair value of plan assets	$ 410,000	$ 399,000
Expected return on plan assets	6.50%	7.00%
Assumed health care cost trend rate	6.00%	6.00%
Next year's assumed health care cost trend rate	7.00%
Assumed health care cost trend rate decline	5.00%
Total contributions to defined contribution plans	$ 32,000	$ 28,000
United States
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Next year's anticipated total contributions to pension plans	$ 8,000
Nominal rate of return	6.75%
Fair value of plan assets	$ 1,463,350	$ 1,460,111
Expected return on plan assets	7.00%	7.00%	7.00%
Benefit obligation	$ 1,678,097	$ 1,689,885	$ 1,868,176
Foreign
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Next year's anticipated total contributions to pension plans	$ 14,000
Nominal rate of return	6.25%
Fair value of plan assets	$ 425,962	412,418
Benefit obligation	688,172	647,112	715,287
U.S. nonpension postretirement plans
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Benefit obligation	174,000	198,000
Nonpension postretirement benefit plans
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Benefit obligation	$ 189,772	$ 211,878	$ 253,980

No definition available.

Name:	pbi_DefinedBenefitPlanHistoricalHealthCareTrendRate
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Eligibility Age for Retiree Medical Benefits

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_EligibilityAgeforRetireeMedicalBenefits
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_NominalRateOfReturnOnPensionPlan
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Percent of All Foreign Plan Assets

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_PercentofAllForeignPlanAssets
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

An assumption as to the rate of return on plan assets reflecting the average rate of earnings expected on the funds invested or to be invested to provide for the benefits included in the benefit obligation.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Expected Long-Term Rate of Return on Plan Assets
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6512046

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (k)(3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897934&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanAssumptionsUsedCalculatingNetPeriodicBenefitCostExpectedLongTermReturnOnAssets
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

1) For defined benefit pension plans, the benefit obligation is the projected benefit obligation, which is the actuarial present value as of a date of all benefits attributed by the pension benefit formula to employee service rendered prior to that date. 2) For other postretirement defined benefit plans, the benefit obligation is the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation, which is the actuarial present value of benefits attributed to employee service rendered to a particular date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897934&loc=d3e1928-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Projected Benefit Obligation
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6522206

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Accumulated Postretirement Benefit Obligation
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6503904

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanBenefitObligation
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanDisclosureLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The assumed health care cost trend rate for the next year used to measure the expected cost of benefits covered by the plan (gross eligible charges). This is based upon the annual rate of change in the cost of health care benefits currently provided by the postretirement benefit plan, due to factors other than changes in the composition of the plan population by age and dependency status.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Health Care Cost Trend Rate
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6514820

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (l)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897934&loc=d3e1928-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanHealthCareCostTrendRateAssumedForNextFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

If aggregate disclosures are presented, the aggregate fair value of plan assets for pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets as of the measurement date of each statement of financial position presented.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 17
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73719040&loc=d3e4179-114921

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897934&loc=d3e2417-114920

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanPensionPlansWithAccumulatedBenefitObligationsInExcessOfPlanAssetsAggregateFairValueOfPlanAssets
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The ultimate trend rate for health care costs.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanUltimateHealthCareCostTrendRate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of employer's best estimate of contributions expected to be paid to the plan during the next fiscal year beginning after the date of the latest statement of financial position.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansEstimatedFutureEmployerContributionsInNextFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The amount of the cost recognized during the period for defined contribution plans.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 70
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49170846&loc=d3e28014-114942

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanCostRecognized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansDisclosuresDefinedBenefitPlansAxis=us-gaap_UnitedStatesPensionPlansOfUSEntityDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansDisclosuresDefinedBenefitPlansAxis=us-gaap_ForeignPensionPlansDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansDisclosuresDefinedBenefitPlansAxis=us-gaap_UnitedStatesPostretirementBenefitPlansOfUSEntityDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlansDisclosuresDefinedBenefitPlansAxis=us-gaap_OtherPostretirementBenefitPlansDefinedBenefitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: