Finance Assets and Lessor Operating Leases (Sales-type Lease and Loan Receivables) (Details) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2020 USD ($)
Sales-type Lease Receivables
Remaining for year ending December 31, 2020	$ 261,856
Year ending December 31, 2021	405,328
Year ending December 31, 2022	282,523
Year ending December 31, 2023	164,632
Year ending December 31, 2024	69,206
Thereafter	11,672
Total	1,195,217
Loan Receivables
Remaining for year ending December 31, 2020	235,412
Year ending December 31, 2021	12,032
Year ending December 31, 2022	10,414
Year ending December 31, 2023	5,582
Year ending December 31, 2024	6,807
Thereafter	3,174
Total	273,421
North America
Sales-type Lease Receivables
Remaining for year ending December 31, 2020	220,405
Year ending December 31, 2021	336,863
Year ending December 31, 2022	234,552
Year ending December 31, 2023	138,308
Year ending December 31, 2024	58,803
Thereafter	9,519
Total	998,450
Loan Receivables
Remaining for year ending December 31, 2020	216,777
Year ending December 31, 2021	12,032
Year ending December 31, 2022	10,414
Year ending December 31, 2023	5,582
Year ending December 31, 2024	6,807
Thereafter	3,174
Total	254,786
International
Sales-type Lease Receivables
Remaining for year ending December 31, 2020	41,451
Year ending December 31, 2021	68,465
Year ending December 31, 2022	47,971
Year ending December 31, 2023	26,324
Year ending December 31, 2024	10,403
Thereafter	2,153
Total	196,767
Loan Receivables
Remaining for year ending December 31, 2020	18,635
Year ending December 31, 2021	0
Year ending December 31, 2022	0
Year ending December 31, 2023	0
Year ending December 31, 2024	0
Thereafter	0
Total	$ 18,635

Financing Receivable, Payments To Be Received

No definition available.

Name:	pbi_FinancingReceivablePaymentsToBeReceived
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Financing Receivable, Payments To Be Received, After Year Four

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_FinancingReceivablePaymentsToBeReceivedAfterYearFour
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Financing Receivable, Payments To Be Received, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_FinancingReceivablePaymentsToBeReceivedFiscalYearMaturityAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Financing Receivable, Payments To Be Received, Four Years

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_FinancingReceivablePaymentsToBeReceivedFourYears
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Financing Receivable, Payments To Be Received, Next Twelve Months

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_FinancingReceivablePaymentsToBeReceivedNextTwelveMonths
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Financing Receivable, Payments To Be Received, Remainder Of Fiscal Year

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_FinancingReceivablePaymentsToBeReceivedRemainderOfFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Financing Receivable, Payments To Be Received, Three Years

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_FinancingReceivablePaymentsToBeReceivedThreeYears
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Financing Receivable, Payments To Be Received, Two Years

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_FinancingReceivablePaymentsToBeReceivedTwoYears
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Sales-Type And Direct Financing Leases, Lease Receivable, To Be Received, After Year Four

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	pbi_SalesTypeAndDirectFinancingLeasesLeaseReceivableToBeReceivedAfterYearFour
Namespace Prefix:	pbi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121576215&loc=SL77919391-209981

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in fourth fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in next fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in remainder of current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121576215&loc=SL77919391-209981

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in third fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of undiscounted cash flows to be received by lessor for sales-type and direct financing leases in second fiscal year following current fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

+ Details

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

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_GeographicDistributionAxis=us-gaap_GeographicDistributionDomesticMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_GeographicDistributionAxis=us-gaap_GeographicDistributionForeignMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: