Canon printers have really come along in the last few years. They have made some great strides with their consumer printers to give Epson and HP a run. The Canon PIXMA Pro 9500 printer is a great example.
If you are looking for a printer that can make a lab quality 13×19 printer, this printer can do it well. The Pro 9500 uses 10 different “LUCIA” pigment based inks that include two different black and one grey inks for superior black and white printing. It prints at 4800 X 2400 dpi with 3 picoliter nozzles in the print head.

I have used a variety of papers in the printer. Canon, like all printer manufacturers, only recommends their own photo paper, but many different photo paper types are compatible. My favorite has been the Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Epson wide format paper (13×19) is also very compatible. The black and white stuff has been truly amazing! Canon rates the print life at 100+ years on color and 200 + on black and white prints. Longevity is probably not going to be an issue.
The other nice part is that the inks just don’t seem to clog up. With the Epson wide format ink, you really need to use them a lot to keep the heads from consistantly clogging up. Not so with the Canon. In over a year, I have not had one clog.
You can look at the printer on the Roberts Imaging site. If you want a more in-depth review you can look here. The is a $150 rebate going on through 9/28/08. We have a great price on the 9500 and if you want to see one, we have it on display at our downtown location.