Pixma Pro 9000 and B&W

Seems like the reviews of this printer are pretty solid except for when printing B&W. I haven't yet figured out though what the exact problem is. Can anyone shed some light?

No problems here...

Get the right profile for the paper you're using and have at it! I get great results with Ilford Smooth Pearl, Red River Mettalic and Canon's Glossy Plus. Be sure you check "Print Grayscale Only"

It just takes considerably longer for the 9000 to spit out a B&W print than it does color.

FP, Do you know what the problem everyone talks about is? Slow printing is one thing but I get the sense it's much more than that.

Honestly, no clue...

What I see is nearly always what I get (Spyder Calibrated.). Only concession I'll sometimes make is to lift the black point ever so slightly for really heavy, moody images. Unadjusted, these types of images will come out just a bit too dense for my taste.

It sounds like one of those printers where you need to specify "Grayscale only" to properly print a B&W. I have a printer like that, and while it may seem limiting, it actually gives great results.

I think it's in comparison to the 9500, which supposedly prints better BW pictures, although I am yet to find room for improvement with my 9000 MII.

Well, I just bought a used 9500 II with extra ink and lots of paper off FM so I guess I'll find out what all the rage is about. Figured for the slight increase in price I might as well get the "better" one.

I think the reports about B&W performance with the 9000 mkII stem from it using only one black ink as opposed to multiple gray inks. The same argument is used with the Epson 1900.

I happen to be one of the many who believe that you can get smoother, more neutral, and more detailed B&W prints with multiple gray inks. All the high end Canon, Epson, and HP printers use them.