Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Revenue:
Equipment sales		$ 679,803	$ 675,451	$ 695,159
Supplies		252,824	262,682	288,103
Software		352,595	348,661	386,506
Rentals		386,348	412,738	441,663
Financing		331,416	366,547	410,035
Support services		478,536	512,820	554,764
Business services		1,068,426	827,676	801,830
Total revenue		3,549,948	3,406,575	3,578,060
Costs and expenses:
Cost of equipment sales		340,745	331,942	331,069
Cost of supplies		82,992	81,420	88,802
Cost of software		101,969	105,841	113,580
Cost of rentals		84,270	76,040	84,188
Financing interest expense		50,665	55,241	71,791
Cost of support services		288,976	295,685	322,960
Cost of business services		773,052	568,509	546,201
Selling, general and administrative		1,237,739	1,200,327	1,279,961
Research and development		129,767	121,306	110,156
Restructuring charges and asset impairments, net		59,431	63,296	25,782
Goodwill impairment		0	171,092	0
Interest expense, net		113,497	88,970	87,583
Other expense (income), net		3,856	536	(94,838)
Total costs and expenses		3,266,959	3,160,205	2,967,235
Income from continuing operations before income taxes		282,989	246,370	610,825
Provision for income taxes		21,649	131,819	189,778
Income from continuing operations		261,340	114,551	421,047
(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax		0	(2,701)	5,271
Net income		261,340	111,850	426,318
Less: Preferred stock dividends of subsidiaries attributable to noncontrolling interests		0	19,045	18,375
Net income - Pitney Bowes Inc.		261,340	92,805	407,943
Amounts attributable to common stockholders:
Net income from continuing operations		261,340	95,506	402,672
(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax		0	(2,701)	5,271
Net income - Pitney Bowes Inc.		$ 261,340	$ 92,805	$ 407,943
Basic earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	[1]	$ 1.40	$ 0.51	$ 2.01
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	[1]	0.00	(0.01)	0.03
Net income - Pitney Bowes Inc. (in dollars per share)	[1]	1.40	0.49	2.04
Diluted earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	[1]	1.39	0.51	2.00
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	[1]	0.00	(0.01)	0.03
Net income - Pitney Bowes Inc. (in dollars per share)	[1]	1.39	0.49	2.03
Dividends declared per share of common stock (in dollars per share)		$ 0.7500	$ 0.7500	$ 0.7500

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