Phantom Lighting System

Does library lighting require special equipment and techniques?
Absolutely. Even the way you install cabinet lighting matters in library lighting. The classic aura of antiquity and eloquence that a library establishes calls for exceptional attention to be paid to the quality, nature, and level of the light itself. It also requires special fixtures and installation techniques to be truly effective.

What types of fixtures provide the best lighting for libraries?
Linear strips provide the best sources of library cabinet lighting system because they can be so easily concealed. However, not just any linear strip will do. The strip has to be thin enough and small enough to fit under the shelf and not protrude visibly into the line of site. Standard fixtures are too bulky. Phantom Lighting manufactures custom strips to accommodate the need for a more compact, completely concealable source of lighting in bookcases and libraries. These in cabinet lighting fixtures are made specifically to fit the dimensions of particular shelves and are so low-profile in design they actually fit to the under surface as if they were part of the shelves themselves.

If your strip lights are that thin and compact, how do you power them?
That is an excellent question. There are two ways to deliver power to Phantom’s linear lighting strips. One way is to build them into a new library bookcase and use the buss bars in the case to send low-voltage power to the contact pads. In older libraries, however, this may not be possible because the bookcases do not have metal bus bars. In this case, small wires can be run through the spaces between the sides of the case and the edges of the shelves, then connected to the contact pads accordingly. As you will see in our gallery of images, what results is an apparently sourceless form of library lighting that appears to make the books themselves glow with light.

Can we leave these lights on all night?
Yes. These are low-voltage lights that generate no heat if fitted with new, 2800K LED festoon lamps. They are also dimmable, so varying levels of ambient lighting appropriate to time of evening and general lighting conditions around one’s privately library can be appropriately set. Another significant advantage to using today’s newest LED light bulb technology is that it to date has produces the safest form of luminance known to science. There is absolutely no ultraviolet light or infrared heat produced by an LED light. This means that even rare books are safe from degradation and overheating even with the lights left on 24/7

Is this affordable?
LED uses only 20% of the power as incandescent lighting to begin with. When combined with a dimmer control, power savings are even greater. The quality of today’s LED cabinet lights is so superb that you cannot distinguish them from incandescent or high-end xenon lamps.

Their power-saving functionality, combined with the superior presentation they afford, makes Phantom fixtures some of the most eclectic and elegant choices for library lighting found anywhere in the world.

What are Phantom Strips and who makes them?
Phantom linear strips have earned the reputation of being some of the most unobtrusive fixtures for this type of lighting, and have led to the coining of our motto, "See the light, not the fixture."
Visit our online gallery here, and visit our phantom website to read more about such topics as cove lighting, curio cabinet lighting, under cabinet lighting, and retail display lighting.

Where do you manufacture and distribute your products?
Our bookcase and cabinet lighting manufacturing facility is located in Houston, Texas. Contact us toll free at 800-863-1184 for assistance on strip lighting or art lighting projector equipment. We have a network of nationwide distributorships, interior designers and sales representatives spread out throughout all 50 states into cities like Scottsdale, Arizona, Seattle, Washington (SEA), Los Angeles, CA, (LAX) Boston, Massachusetts (BOS), Princeton, NJ (EWR), Philadelphia, PA, Dallas, Texas (DWF), Pasadena, California, Chicago, IL (ORD), Baltimore, MD (BWI), and Minneapolis, MN (MSP).

We also service clients internationally, with lighting manufacturer sales representatives working out of Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

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Why is it necessary to use special lighting for books?
Generally speaking, only books made from very fine and sensitive materials, or rare books that are old or out of print, tend to be displayed in a fashion that requires illumination. Due to the sensitivity of leather, binding, and pages, book accent lighting must be free from all harmful wavelengths of light and also look aesthetically presentable.

What do you mean by “harmful wavelengths of light?”
The invisible extremes of the light spectrum—ultraviolet and infrared—both present unseen hazards to books and other fine materials. Ultraviolet light breaks down the cellular and molecular structure of any organic material, living or non-living. Infrared light generates heat that can dehydrate paper and leather, causing cracking and possible fire hazards.

Should book lights then be UV and IR filtered?
Some are, but it is better to use LED lights that do not produce UV or IR rays to begin with. Unlike all other light sources (fluorescent, incandescent, and xenon) that ignite gases to create luminance, LEDs create light by passing a current through a solid substance called a diode. This diode in turn emits a monochromatic frequency of color that travels in a tight, narrow wavelength and avoids either extreme of the spectrum where harmful radiation is found.

I have heard that LEDs produce a poor quality of lighting compared to other lamps. Is this true?
No. LEDs such as Phantom Lighting’s 2800K LED festoon lamp emit a quality of light that is equivalent to xenon in the ability to render colors true to form. Phantom book lights also are designed with a unique, patented festoon that combines multiple LED bulbs to create a high output of lumens. Although these bulbs use a mere 1.7 watts of power (a fraction of that used by older technologies), they are able to shine just as brightly. LEDs also produce no heat, so they will not dry out covers or pages and pose no risk of fire hazard if left on for extended periods of time. See our festoon lamp comparison chart for more details.

With all this complicated science, how decorative are Phantom book lighting fixtures?
The purpose of the science is to maximize, not minimize, the decorative potential of our fixtures. Phantom’s motto is “see the light, not the fixture.” Our strip lights are very small and very thin, and they can be concealed under any book shelf in a wireless, unobtrusive configuration. Furthermore, they are completely dimmable, so a variety of lighting levels and moods can be achieved simply by adjusting the brightness of the lamps. The hidden position of the fixture, the absence of wiring that can create an eyesore, and the smaller, concealed low-voltage transformers enable you to light your bookcase or library in such a way as to make it appear to generate light magically from within the shelves.

What sizes do you sell your book lighting strips in?
We have basic model designs for new cabinet build outs and retrofit display cabinet lighting. However, we do not have pre-cut sizes like many online stores. Instead, we custom build each strip to the specific dimensions of the shelf to which it mounts. This makes the product literally become a part of the overall bookshelf or cabinet and further adds to the element of concealment. We work closely with designers and cabinet makers to make this process as seamless and efficient as possible, and to add value to their work with our proprietary showcase lighting technology.

We manufacture cabinet lighting fixtures in our Houston, Texas facility. A network of nationwide lighting supply sales representatives fans out throughout all 50 states into cities like Scottsdale, Arizona, Seattle, Washington (SEA), Los Angeles, CA (LAX) Boston, Massachusetts (BOS), Princeton, NJ (EWR), Philadelphia, PA (PHL), Dallas, Texas (DWF), Chicago, IL (ORD), Baltimore, MD (BWI), and Minneapolis, MN (MSP). We also service clients internationally, with lighting manufacturer representatives working out of Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

We invite you to call a Phantom Agent toll free 800-863-1184 to obtain more information on all of these options. You can also request literature on our Phantom Lighting website, visit our Phantom Lighting mobile website, or read through the many informative summaries and FAQs located on our cabinet lighting blog. All of these resources, including our online virtual lighting showroom contain a wealth of information about our custom; low-voltage lighting products that are the dream come true of art lighting designers and cabinet lighting builders on two major continents.

What is the best type of lighting for a free-standing bookcase?
If the bookcase has already been built, we recommend installing Phantom AE (Adjustable Exposed Bookcase Lights) series linear lighting strips. These bookcase lights are ideal for remodelers because they are designed to be installed in bookcases that have already been built. In most cases, there are metal buss bars in these bookcases that can function as the main conduits of power to the low voltage lighting system. If not, we can supply you with buss bars to install with the lighting strips.

Can Phantom bookcase lights be built into a unit at the time of manufacture?
Yes. We have another line of linear strips, the AC (Adjustable Concealed Bookcase Lights) series that is intended to be built into new-construction cabinets and bookcases. The AC series is used by a great variety of contractors, including cabinet makers, general contractors, and even electrical specialists.

What advantages do these strip lights offer over other forms of bookcase lighting?
Concealment is the most important attribute of these luxury lighting fixtures. Both the AC and AE series are very slim, low profile linear strip lights that are custom-manufactured to specific shelf dimensions. They mount on the front under surface of each shelf, hidden from open view.

Phantom linear bookcase lights feature some ingenious engineering found nowhere else in the world of cabinet lighting design. We have patented a virtually wireless cabinet lighting fixture that negates the need for both gangly wiring and problematic battery power. Using buss bars and metal shelf supports, we have engineered linear strip technology to use metallic structures that are either built into the cabinet or retrofitted to its surface as conductors of low-voltage current. This current neither generates heat nor presents any risk of shock, and is essentially the safest form of bookcase lighting to utilize for eclectic displays and collections of older books whose covers and pages are exceptionally sensitive.

Because these bookshelf lights utilize buss bars and metal shelf supports as electrical conductors, there is no visible wiring, either, to clutter the display.

How can Phantom Lighting provide such specialized lighting on a customized application basis?
We rely upon a sophisticated internal consultation, manufacturing, and distribution process flow that coordinates the production of the product with our client’s project itself. When a professional contacts our office, we first determine if this is going to be a new build out or retrofitting project. Once that determination is made, we gather detailed information on the scope of the project, the dimensions of the bookcase we will be lighting, and even the contents that will be displayed within that case. This allows us in turn to choose not only the right linear strip series, but the appropriate festoon lamping options as well. The factory then produces the strips, which are then sent to the client’s location. For large projects, our agent network acts as a distribution and technical support channel. These experts help contractors; interior decorators customize both select and customize the lighting strips to bookcases, displays, coves, armoires, and even antique furnishings. Large projects such as these require a great deal of consultation and technical support, which are Agents are happy to provide to the general contractor and the specialty interior designer.

Phantom linear strips have earned the reputation of being some of the most unobtrusive fixtures for this type of lighting, and have led to the coining of our motto, "see the light, not the fixture." Visit our online gallery here, and visit our phantom website to read more about such topics as cove lighting, curio cabinet lighting, under cabinet lighting, and retail display lighting.

Our bookcase and cabinet lighting manufacturing facility is located in Houston, Texas. Feel free to contact us toll free at 800-863-1184 for assistance on strip lighting or fine art lighting projector equipment. A network of nationwide distributorships and sales representatives fans out throughout all 50 states into cities like Scottsdale, Arizona, Seattle, Washington (SEA), Los Angeles, CA, (LAX) Boston, Massachusetts (BOS), Princeton, NJ (EWR), Philadelphia, PA, Dallas, Texas (DWF), Pasadena, California, Chicago, IL (ORD), Baltimore, MD (BWI), and Minneapolis, MN (MSP). We also service clients internationally, with lighting manufacturer sales representatives working out of Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America.