Thanks for an excellent review. I have the 9500 MK I and this review has convinced me that buying the PRO-1 would be a waste of time and money. The excellence of the output is not in doubt. The deal-breaker is that Canon is so half-hearted about putting pro features in such a costly device, and so market-deaf as not to listen to the many users who told them that the 9500 MK II should ditch the 35 mm margin fiasco and provide at least an optional roll feed. Not to mention that I had to buy a "European" CD printing adapter because Canon deemed it unnecessary for the US market.
As I understand it, Canon USA (for printers at least) has no real input on design decisions; their job is market what Canon Japan sends them. So complaining to our regional Canon reps is useless; unless we can get an audience with the Mother Ship, we're talking to ourselves.
So here's my strategy: I keep the 9500 and use it for output that it will render well. I'll outsource larger prints-unless Canon or somebody suddenly comes out with a world-beater in this format without silly restrictions and consumables that are not incredibly expensive.