Canon Pro9000 vs. HP B9180

[CUclimber]

I'm looking for a 13x19" printer right now and I've narrowed it down to these two but I'm having a devil of a time deciding which one to go with.  A lot of the discussion seems to come down to dye vs. pigment, or which one has the best black & white performance.  Both printers seem perfectly capable of producing spectacular prints and I'm sure I'd be happy with either one, but since I'd like to hold on to whichever one I end up with for a couple of years I want to be sure I'm not missing anything.

It sounds like the Canon is hard to beat when it comes to glossy prints, whereas the HP is better for semigloss/matte prints that will last a lifetime.  Does the HP have an edge with regards to b&w?

I've read glowing reviews of both printers, but I'd like a few seat-of-the-pants opinions either way from others who have had to decide between the two.

Thanks!

[Kenneth Sky]

I went through this same process and dithered for 5 months waiting for the Canon 9500 (pigment ink) to appear. However, Canon's fiasco over servicing and warranting as well as lack of a decent manual for the ipf 5000 settled it for me. I wouldn't support a company that treats its customers as poorly as Canon does. And then there is the suppression of the WIH data on the longevity of their pigment inks. So, yes - the Canon excells at glossy and speed but HP does a bit better on matte and B&W but really is supreme (as of this date) in longevity. According to photo-i both are capable of producing great 13"x19" prints (which you won't compare side by side as you will only purchase one printer). I've put my money where my mouth is and just purchased the HP B9180 with the knowledge I can rest easier that if something goes wrong, I will be dealing with a company that appears to service dissatisfied customers. BTW, I'm keeping my Epson R800 for glossy 8"x10"s.

[daniel voges]

Here is a link where someone claims he can only print 4 to 5 13x19 prints before the 9000 runs out of ink, 13ml carts.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat...&q=pro9000&qf=m

[haefnerphoto]

I've used the 9000 since it became available and liked it enough to purchase a second.  I don't really recommend it for B/W printing, there's always a color cast unless you select the monochromatic printing (which is painfully slow).  What it will do is provide great looking color prints quickly.  My use is for my advertising portfolio and postcards etc.  The manufacturer claims the new dyes to be more fade resistant, hopefully better than the 9900 which I found to have problems after 6 months or so.