Photographic paper and air travel

[bluedog]

I'm thinking of stocking up my paper supplies whilst in the US later this year. Is it safe to take through the x ray machines or should I post it home?

 

[aaronmichael]

I'm thinking of stocking up my paper supplies whilst in the US later this year. Is it safe to take through the x ray machines or should I post it home?

I'd read up a little on this:

http://support.en.kodak.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/30482/selected/true

I realize that this is for film, but the same principles would apply to paper, would they not? I'm not a very experienced analog photographer but to my understanding a piece of photographic paper is kind of like a giant piece of film. I'd get a response from a more experienced user before doing anything. I'd probably play it safe and post it home though. Wouldn't want to fog all that paper if the same principles apply to it as film.

But now that I think about it, it seems like x-rays wouldn't affect the paper because paper is only sensitive to a specific nanometer length in the visible spectrum and x-rays are way below that length. Now I'm just confused - anyone else willing to chime in?

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

The paper will not be affected by the x-ray machines in the least - it is much, much too
slow.

 

[K-G]

The paper will not be affected by the x-ray machines in the least - it is much, much too
slow.

Do you know if that also goes for the checked in luggage as this is exposed to a much higher x-ray dose than the hand luggage as far as I know.

Karl-Gustaf

 

[Ian Grant]

You can't risk checked in baggage most airports use similar scanners to carry on baggage then anything vaguely suspect goes through the higher dosage machines. Remember that most post goes through similar machines as carry on baggage.

Not all airports are the same, one I fly from regularly checks all baggage as you enter, there's no further checks for checked in baggage I accidentally left film in my backpack when they insisted it had to go checked and it was fine.

However that's unusual, take all films & paper as carry on, that is perfectly safe in European airports, but not all US airports (a very small number still use older unsafe machines but they should warn you and ahnd check).

Films are safe for multiple passes through carry on scanners even 20-30 scans, so paper will be 100% safe. That's experience 2-+ scans while travelling to and through South America,as well as discussion with a senior airport official who sits on a committee with Ilford, Kodak, Fuji etc to oversee film safety with airport scanners

Ian

 

[bluedog]

Thanks for the quick responses. I think I can rest easy now.