I recently visited a local digital lab, and I've seen the future. The lab in question is located in the trendy and newly renovatedDistillery Districtof downtown Toronto. Its name isPikto, and it's more than a lab.Piktois a photographic gallery, cafe, bookstore, digital service bureau and photographer's community center. While likely not unique in the world, I believe that it nevertheless points the way to the future, and thus is worth a visit, either in person if you live in Toronto, Canada, or a virtual visit — as provided below.

The founders and owners ofPiktoareAndré SouroujonandSaul Lederman. Saul is a long time computer techy, and André a professional photographer of many years. Their dream, brought to life in June of 2003, was a next-generation photo lab — a place where professionals as well as amateur photographers could find access to image processing tools and output options that would otherwise be unavailable,andat affordable prices.

What...