STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) is providing U.S. businesses affected by the January 8th USPS postal rate change with information and guidance on mailstream best practices. Among the adjustments to postal rates, a one-ounce single-piece rate for First-Class Mail will increase from 37 cents to 39 cents, and the postcard rate will increase by one cent to 24 cents.

"Helping companies through the rate change is part of Pitney Bowes' ongoing commitment to serve as a postal consultant to our customers," said Michael Critelli, Chairman and CEO of Pitney Bowes. "In addition to guiding companies through the rate increase, we are also actively supporting comprehensive postal reform, which will help to alleviate the need for such increases in the future." Critelli also serves as Chairman of the Mailing Industry Task Force and Chairman of the Mailing Industry CEO Council.

Pitney Bowes launched a "Rate Change Awareness Campaign" in 2005 that educated businesses on the impact of the USPS rate change and advised companies on solutions available to help offset rising operating costs. The campaign included information on presorting and postal discount programs, comparison-shopping solutions for shipping needs, accounting services for mail-related expenses, and advanced mailing systems designed to increase mailstream efficiency and productivity.

"Companies of all sizes will be affected by this rate change, including high-volume mailers, direct mailers, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments," said Mike Monahan, President of Pitney Bowes Global Mailing Solutions and Services. "We are educating businesses on how they can cut costs and even offset the rate increase by improving the quality of their mail." Monahan explained that there are several ways companies can improve their mailstream management. "For example, organizations achieving 3-digit presort automation for First Class Mail currently pay 29.2 cents for a one- ounce mailpiece, but will spend 30.8 cents after January 8. By bringing the same mailing to a 5-digit presort automation level, the price per piece would be only 29.3 cents -- only a fraction over the current rate."

Visitors to the Pitney Bowes website (http://www.pb.com/rateinfo) can find information on the rate change and mailstream management.

About Pitney Bowes:

Pitney Bowes provides the world's most comprehensive suite of mailstream software, hardware, services and solutions to help companies manage their flow of mail, documents and packages to improve communication. Pitney Bowes, with $5.4 billion in annual revenue, takes an all-inclusive view of its customers' operations, helping organizations of all sizes enjoy the competitive advantage that comes from an optimized mailstream. The company's 85 years of technological leadership have produced many major mailstream innovations, and it is consistently on the Intellectual Property Owners Association's list of top U.S. patent holders. With approximately 35,000 employees worldwide, Pitney Bowes serves more than 2 million businesses through direct and dealer operations. More information about the company can be found at http://www.pb.com.

    Press Contact:

    Caroline Dennis,
    Manager, Public Relations
    Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Tel. 203-351-7210
    Fax 203-351-6303
    caroline.dennis@pb.com


SOURCE  Pitney Bowes Inc.
    -0-                             01/06/2006
    /CONTACT:  Caroline Dennis, Manager, Public Relations of Pitney Bowes
Inc., +1-203-351-7210, or Fax: +1-203-351-6303, caroline.dennis@pb.com/
    /Web site:  http://www.pb.com
                http://www.pb.com/rateinfo /
    (PBI)

CO:  Pitney Bowes Inc.
ST:  Connecticut
IN:  CPR HRD STW OFP FIN
SU:

AS
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5444 01/06/2006 15:27 EST http://www.prnewswire.com