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Pitney Bowes Names Winner of its Seventh Annual Inventor of Year Award

Pitney Bowes' Team Recognized for Innovating a Method for Remote
    Postage Meter Initialization

    Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) today announced that a team of three employees was honored with the company's 1998 Inventor of the Year Award during a dinner held at Pitney Bowes World Headquarters in Stamford. Eileen Eddy, Dale French and Iris Kishimoto were recognized for their work in developing a method to remotely enable the operation of value metering devices, such as postage meters. The invention, for which Pitney Bowes received a U.S. patent in 1998, helps customers and Pitney Bowes save time and money by streamlining the process for activating a postage meter and enabling remote meter activation.

"The winning invention is one of the many examples of how Pitney Bowes continues to revolutionize the mailing industry with new and innovative technology to help our customers manage their mail and messaging needs more efficiently and effectively," said Michael J. Critelli, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pitney Bowes. "This year's winning team also reflects Pitney Bowes' core value that a diverse workforce is the most strategic way for Pitney Bowes to realize its business objectives and achieve maximum results. Pitney Bowes' 1999 Inventor of the Year award is a testament to our tradition of innovation and our longstanding diversity heritage."

Pitney Bowes' annual Inventor of the Year Award, now in its seventh year, recognizes the achievements of its technology community and the importance of innovation to the company's success. Each year, a panel of judges reviews all of the patents issued to Pitney Bowes inventors during the previous year and selects the winner from these patents. The award is presented to the inventor or team of inventors whose patent exhibits significance and value to Pitney Bowes' technology, business and stockholders. The winner or winning team is honored at a gala dinner celebration and receives special recognition. Details about the invention are displayed in corporate headquarters and featured in the company newsletter.

With more than 3,000 patents worldwide, Pitney Bowes is renowned for numerous inventions and improvements in mailing and paper handling technologies and is the inventor of many of the innovative technologies used in computer and virtual metering. 1998 was a record year for patents issued to Pitney Bowes in the United States with 124 new patents - a 44 percent increase over 1997.

Pitney Bowes is a $4.2 billion global provider of informed mail and messaging management. For more information about the company, visit www.pitneybowes.com.

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     CONTACT: Pitney Bowes Media Relations
              Alicia Sherry, 203/351-6477
              sherryal@pb.com

     KEYWORD: CONNECTICUT
     INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED TELECOMMUNICATIONS