Recently Issued or Adopted Accounting Pronouncements	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Recently Issued or Adopted Accounting Pronouncements [Abstract]
Recently Adopted New Accounting Pronouncements [Text Block]	Recently Issued or Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a revised standard intended to reduce the cost and complexity of the annual goodwill impairment test by providing entities an option to perform a “qualitative” assessment to determine whether further impairment testing is necessary. An entity has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the current two-step test. If an entity believes, as a result of its qualitative assessment, that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is required. Otherwise, no further testing is required. The revised standard is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning January 1, 2012. We do not expect the adoption of this revised standard to have an impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. In June 2011, the FASB issued amended guidance to enhance comparability between entities that report under U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and to provide a more consistent method of presenting non-owner transactions that affect an entity's equity. This guidance eliminates the option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in stockholders' equity and requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive statements. Regardless of whether one or two statements are presented, an entity is required to show reclassification adjustments on the face of the financial statements for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning January 1, 2012. The adoption of this guidance will only change the presentation of our Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity and Comprehensive Income. In May 2011, the FASB issued amended disclosure requirements to provide a consistent definition of fair value and ensure that the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are similar between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. This guidance changes certain fair value measurement principles and enhances the disclosure requirements particularly for Level 3 fair value measurements. This guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning January 1, 2012. We do not expect these disclosures to have a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. In January 2010, the FASB issued additional disclosure requirements for assets and liabilities held at fair value. Specifically, the new guidance requires a gross presentation of activities within the Level 3 roll forward and adds a new requirement to disclose transfers in and out of Level 1 and 2 measurements. This guidance is applicable to all entities currently required to provide disclosures about recurring and nonrecurring fair value measurements. The effective date for these disclosures for Imation was January 1, 2010, except for the gross presentation of the Level 3 roll forward information, which was required for interim reporting periods beginning January 1, 2011. The disclosures did not have a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. In December 2010, the FASB issued additional guidance for entities with reporting units that have carrying amounts equal to zero or are negative. These entities are required to assess whether it is more likely than not that the reporting units' goodwill is impaired. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that the goodwill of one or more of its reporting units is impaired, then Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test for those reporting unit(s) should be performed. Any resulting goodwill impairment should be recorded as a cumulative-effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings in the period of adoption. Any goodwill impairments occurring after the initial adoption of the amendments should be included in earnings. The effective date for these disclosures for Imation was January 1, 2011. This guidance did not have a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. In December 2010, the FASB issued additional and amended interim and annual disclosure requirements for supplementary pro forma information related to business combinations. The effective date for this guidance for Imation is prospective for business combinations on or after January 1, 2011. These disclosures have not had a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. A variety of proposed potential accounting standards are currently under study by standard setting organizations and various regulatory agencies. Due to the tentative and preliminary nature of those proposed standards, management has not determined whether implementation of such proposed standards would be material to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Recently Issued or Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a revised standard intended to reduce the cost and complexity of the annual goodwill impairment test by providing entities an option to perform a “qualitative” assessment to determine whether further impairment testing is necessary. An entity has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the current two-step test. If an entity believes, as a result of its qualitative assessment, that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is required. Otherwise, no further testing is required. The revised standard is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning January 1, 2012. We do not expect the adoption of this revised standard to have an impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued amended guidance to enhance comparability between entities that report under U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and to provide a more consistent method of presenting non-owner transactions that affect an entity's equity. This guidance eliminates the option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in stockholders' equity and requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive statements. Regardless of whether one or two statements are presented, an entity is required to show reclassification adjustments on the face of the financial statements for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning January 1, 2012. The adoption of this guidance will only change the presentation of our Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity and Comprehensive Income.

In May 2011, the FASB issued amended disclosure requirements to provide a consistent definition of fair value and ensure that the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are similar between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. This guidance changes certain fair value measurement principles and enhances the disclosure requirements particularly for Level 3 fair value measurements. This guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning January 1, 2012. We do not expect these disclosures to have a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

In January 2010, the FASB issued additional disclosure requirements for assets and liabilities held at fair value. Specifically, the new guidance requires a gross presentation of activities within the Level 3 roll forward and adds a new requirement to disclose transfers in and out of Level 1 and 2 measurements. This guidance is applicable to all entities currently required to provide disclosures about recurring and nonrecurring fair value measurements. The effective date for these disclosures for Imation was January 1, 2010, except for the gross presentation of the Level 3 roll forward information, which was required for interim reporting periods beginning January 1, 2011. The disclosures did not have a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

In December 2010, the FASB issued additional guidance for entities with reporting units that have carrying amounts equal to zero or are negative. These entities are required to assess whether it is more likely than not that the reporting units' goodwill is impaired. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that the goodwill of one or more of its reporting units is impaired, then Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test for those reporting unit(s) should be performed. Any resulting goodwill impairment should be recorded as a cumulative-effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings in the period of adoption. Any goodwill impairments occurring after the initial adoption of the amendments should be included in earnings. The effective date for these disclosures for Imation was January 1, 2011. This guidance did not have a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

In December 2010, the FASB issued additional and amended interim and annual disclosure requirements for supplementary pro forma information related to business combinations. The effective date for this guidance for Imation is prospective for business combinations on or after January 1, 2011. These disclosures have not had a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

A variety of proposed potential accounting standards are currently under study by standard setting organizations and various regulatory agencies. Due to the tentative and preliminary nature of those proposed standards, management has not determined whether implementation of such proposed standards would be material to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.