The emission of nanosecond pulses of ≈20 keV photons having a total energy of GeVs which are generated by peeling millimeter wide strips of pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape in a partial pressure of air (≈10−3 Torr) is demonstrated. The X-ray spectrum is similar to that obtained by peeling much wider bands of PSA, implying that the characteristic length for the sequence of processes that govern this phenomenon is less than 1 mm. These experiments demonstrate that MEMS-type X-ray generators are technologically feasible.