I haven't really figured the exact cost of printing from my 9500...but I did get ~25 10x14s printed on 13x19 paper right away before one ink cartridge emptied out. Like you said, it is hard to figure out because of what subject you print. I will only use Canon ink. I can tell you that if you apply the proper profiles for the paper you use, you will really enjoy printing from this printer. I do not even have my MBP screen calibrated to match the printer and have been extremely happy with the results.
I bought the R2880 in favour of the Pro 9500; although I have a pro 9000 that I am very impressed with.
Four main reasons really:
Most on line comparisons favoured the Epson by a small margin
The Epson was cheaper to buy
The Canon has some odd default settings regarding the margins in some instances; these cannot (so it seems) be over ridden
The Epson has better 3rd party support...particularly in inks and papers. I was unable to find a single bulk ink supplier for the Canon; although I had no trouble with my Pro9000, and using OCP inks has reduced my ink costs by about 90%...the prints are beautiful...as good as the Canon inks, which I started with.
I had the 2200......good in its day...but that day has long gone (although if I still had one, I'd be tempted to use dye inks in it...you might be surprised at the print quality!).
