Dartboards should be lighted as evenly as possible, to reduce shadows to a minimum. Darts sticking in a dartboard may cast a dark shadow, if lighting is provided by just one source.
Shadows from darts can obscure scoring areas, and can make it difficult to determine exactly where a dart is sticking the the board. To reduce or eliminate shadows, multiple light sources may be used to light a dartboard, such as track light with multiple lamps.
Light bars or tracklights should have at least two light heads, three will do an even better job of reducing shadows.
Another method is to use fluorescent bulbs to light the dartboard and surrounding area. As fluorescent tubes are a more diffuse light source, fewer and lighter shadows are created.
Some darts bars use pool table lights to light their dartboards. As these lights are designed to evenly light large billiards tables, they work well for lighting a wall of dartboards. For darts use, the fixtures are just angled to light the wall.
Either incandescent or fluorescent bulbs may be used in the fixtures. If incandescent lights are used, it is better to flood type bulbs than spotlight bulbs. Flood lights are designed to provide even light over a wide area, whereas spot lights are more tightly focused and cast harsh shadows.
In the last few years, LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting has become more popular. Although LED lights are more expensive than traditional incandescent bulbs, they last longer and conserve electricity.
As with most types of light bulbs, LEDs are available in a variety of “color temperatures”, sometimes expressed as “Warm”, “Cool”, or “Cold” lighting. While “Warm” light is appropriate for casual room lighting, task lighting for work or objects such as dartboards is usually “Cool” or “Cold”. “Cold” light is similar to natural sunlight, and packaging for such lights may be marked with a color temperature at or near “5000K”.
With bristle dartboards, care should also be taken to keep hot lights as far enough away from the dartboard as is feasible. Bristle dart boards are made of natural sisal fiber, which can be damaged by excessive heat or light.