Phantom Lighting System

Specialty lighting manufacturers all around the country are going head to head with each other to get your attention. Choosing the right type of lighting manufacturer requires a little bit of information about, who the company is, and what type of product they are offering.

Phantom Lighting is a pioneer, Houston-based art lighting company and low voltage lighting manufacturer established in 1981 to service the lighting and design community. Phantom Contour Projectors and Phantom strip lights feature lighting technology that is completely unique, 100% proprietary, and found nowhere else in the world of lighting. Phantom’s revolutionary approach to decorative picture lighting and low voltage cabinet lighting and under cabinet lighting has taken it from humble origins to the level of an international leader in lighting manufacturing on two continents.

As a fine art lighting manufacturer we are frequently asked how our Contour Projectors compare to similar optical framing projector products on the market. To help our customers better understand the differences, we have created a projector comparison chart showing a range of equipment.

Here are a few benefits of the Phantom Contour Projector:

• Phantom Contour Projectors are designed by a professional installer and have been engineered so a novice, do it your-selfer or qualified electrician can successfully illuminate art and sculpture.


• The Contour projector produces an even focused light source over your painting so that all of those hidden rich colors are illuminated. This “Lighted from within” look makes the contour projector definitely a one of a kind art lighting device.


• The patented mounting method, simplified optical system and the ability to use both shutters and custom templates make this one of the most versatile and awesome art lighting fixtures on the market today.


• A first in the industry, the Phantom Contour Projector RM Series (remodel housing) is specifically designed for installation between floors without damage to the ceiling and the low profile design will fit in joists as shallow as 10 " deep.


• The Contour Projector uses a 75-watt MR16 halogen based lamp for illumination purposes. This mechanism traps the infrared rays inside the fixture itself, while filtering out most of the ultra-violet rays before they set their sights on your artwork.

How can I learn more about your art lighting products?
We invite you to call toll free 800-863-1184 to request literature online or visit our lighting blog to learn more about Phantom custom low voltage lighting products.

Are your art lighting products made in the USA?
Yes, our lighting manufacturing facility is located in Houston, Texas with professional lighting sales agents located throughout the United States that enable us to service all of Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America and the United States including Washington DC, Nashville Tennessee, Las Vegas Nevada. Portland Oregon, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, Tucson Arizona, Orange County California, Atlanta Georgia, Austin Texas and Palm Springs California.

In order to be effective, art museum lighting must correspond to the type of art being exhibited. Natural lighting is generally not preferred as a source of art museum lighting. It emits harmful infrared heat and ultraviolet light waves that will damage a wide variety of paint types and canvases. Natural light is also very difficult to control. It is much better to use art museum lighting fixtures specifically designed for the task of illuminating and properly showcasing fine art and statuary. In most cases, a combination of fixture types by most curators, who tend to design the fine art lighting system around the interior architecture of the room and the exhibits on display.

Accent Lights
Accent lighting fixtures often use low voltage halogen lamps that have been specifically engineered for the purposes of art lighting. Ultraviolet light has to be filtered out of the light beam in order to make the light safe for the art, and the fixture must also provide a means of adjusting lighting levels.

Some accent lighting fixtures look like over the picture lights, although many have a base that attaches to the wall above the frame, not to the frame itself. The arms are generally longer and more flexible than generic equivalents. This allows the picture lights to be positioned at just the right distance from the art in order to make the light fit the frame.

Exhibition lighting in art museums is also done with low voltage, filtered spotlights that reside on or near the ceiling. These fixtures create a less intense luminance that is highly effective for special effects or ambient lighting. This type of accent lighting is often found in art museums that exhibit sculpture and three-dimensional abstract art.

Track Lights
Track lights hang suspended from rails that run parallel to the wall. The greatest advantage that they offer is the ability to match the number of lighting fixtures to the exact number of works of art. Because each low voltage light fixture can be moved individually along the rail, each light can be aimed precisely at its chosen object for pinpoint lighting effect. We often see track lighting in art museums showcasing photography exhibits. Because such exhibits normally feature a number of works in a series, track light installations allow for each photograph to be placed in its own individual light.

Recessed Lights
Lighting designers use recessed picture lights in art museums use halogen lights that produce a very bright, white light with superb color rendering. This light is filtered to remove ultraviolet radiation, and the use of dimmer switches to control lighting levels is generally recommended both as an aesthetic factor and a power saving feature.

One of the greatest advantages recessed accent lighting fixtures offer in art museum lighting is concealment. Unlike track lights, which hang suspended from the ceiling, recessed lights reside on or within the ceiling itself. They are difficult for the casual viewer to see, and they can be used to light both art and sculpture from virtually any angle.

Art Projectors
Art projectors are the most high-end of art museum lighting fixtures. Because art projectors can fit the light to the precise dimensions of a painting, and because they produce the safest form of UV and Infrared-free lighting, art museums frequently rely on them to light their most important and rare works of art on display.

Like recessed lights, projectors such as the Phantom Contour mount above the line of site in the ceiling. Almost all have some sort of lens adjustment mechanisms, sophisticated light filters that strip the beam of harmful ultraviolet light, and built in dimmer controls that allow lighting levels to be adjusted appropriately to genre, style, and individual characteristics of a work of art.

The Phantom Contour Projector offers a number of advantages over competing projector models. It is smaller and therefore easier to conceal in more eclectic, formal art museums. Lighting controls on the Contour Projector are exceptionally user friendly and do not require a technician to adjust. A number of models are available specific to interior architecture, including retrofit models that do not require cutting into a ceiling.

Click here to read more about Phantom Contour Projectors and Phantom Linear Strip lights that can be used in art museum display lighting.

Our lighting manufacturing facility is located in Houston, Texas with professional lighting sales agents located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including Washington DC, Nashville Tennessee, Las Vegas Nevada. Portland Oregon, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, Tucson Arizona, Long Beach California, Atlanta Georgia, and Los Angeles California.

Phantom lighting systems is one of those unique lighting manufacturers who shines bright in a very exclusive niche market.

Focusing strictly on fine art lighting and low voltage display lighting equipment, the designers at Phantom Lighting Systems have created a name for themselves over the last 30 years. Phantom Lighting is a Houston based lighting manufacturer that was established in 1980 to service the lighting and design community. The professionals at Phantom Lighting have enjoyed and earned a loyal following of satisfied customers and now their products are available nationally through traditional distribution channels, lighting manufacturer agents and lighting representatives.

Phantom Lighting specializes in high performance lighting products designed for low voltage adjustable display lighting and precision optical framing projectors for the illumination of art. The unique design and unparalleled performance of our products, makes it a preferred choice of architects, builders, interior designers and homeowners who expect only the very best money can buy.

If you are building a home, remodeling the office or just interested in learning more about how a Phantom Light can highlight your art or possessions, please give us a call at 800-863-1184. You can also visit our mobile website, lighting blog or online lighting showroom to discover which Phantom Lighting products and models will best adapt to your particular lighting needs. Together, the professionals at Phantom Lighting will ensure that your next project is an astounding success!

As a curator of a fine art gallery, I am always worried about protecting the art from infrared and ultraviolet light. We have very few windows in the gallery but, I am concerned about the halogen light fixtures we use causing damage over time. Does your Contour Projector produce the same kind of light?

The Contour projector has several glass lenses, including a special ultraviolet filter, that eliminate these harmful light rays. That is why you see the Contour framing projector used to light some of the most precious art objects and pictures in the world.

Infrared rays cause the temperature of the paintings surface to rise when the bulb is on, and then drop back to normal after the light has been turned off. If this on/off cycle goes on long enough problems such as fading, cracking, and deterioration of the picture itself can take place. Your artwork can be permanently destroyed because of this.

To learn more about infrared light and ultraviolet light, and how it is created, visit www.phantomlighting.com. Our fine art lighting information section is loaded with helpful information for serious art collectors.

Phantom Lighting Systems specializes in high performance lighting products designed for low voltage adjustable display lighting and precision optical framing projectors for the illumination of art. The unique design and unparalleled performance of our products, makes it a favorite choice of architects, builders, interior designers and homeowners who expect only the very best money can buy.