This is in response to the questions posed above. I am not familiar with the Canon printer, so am unable to make any comparisons or comment about its feed path. I can say, based on my experience with other Epson printers with a full inkset, that I would have no reservations about the quality of the Epson output. Note that the Canon printer you're talking about utilizes only two blacks (PK plus a lighter black for "gloss" papers, and MK plus the lighter black for matte papers) while the Epson calls on three blacks for either color or b&w work. This allows for nice subtle toning of lighter shades (at least that is one aspect I have understood to be a benefit of the multiple dilutions). There is a price difference between the two printers that may factor into your calculations. Do what you're comfortable with. I will say that Dan's comments about plowing through ink with any volume of printing are worth their weight in gold. I might add that I myself set ink load to something more than the default setting (typically 10 percent more on Canson Platine, less on some other papers) having thought this might be a good idea and liking the results. And then one of this site's esteemed contributors wrote in a lead article that he does the same thing all the time and recommended it as standard practice. Just food for thought. --Barbara
