6 ink Epsons vs similar Canons - which is better

I'm looking for an A4 printer that does postcards/greeting cards/business cards/artists cards. Obviously it must be able to print on heavier stock and it seems that here the Pixmas have a clear edge over Epsons Artisan range, doing up to 300gsm. The printer will also need to do normal A4 photographic prints and, since it looks like being used at a Santa shopping centre promotion later this year, must be reasonably robust.
It will replace a 10 year old Canon i9950 that still works beautifully but the inks are gettig harder to find. Will 6 ink current Pxmas or Epsons equal or exceed the photo qualiy of the i9950? If so can anyone recommend a particular model? Reliable handling of material such as heavy card, Red River or similar greeting cards is a must and is equally important as photo quality. We don't want the frustration of fequent paper jams and, even though some material will be printed both sides, duplexing is not required - I doubt it would be available with heavy stoch anyway.
If they weren't so expensive in Australia I'd happily get a new Canon A3+, but they are well over $1000 here and I'm reluctant o do a direct import from the states.

Thanks

Hal55

I have started printing red river cards on a Pixma Pro 9000 II, with superb results. This is a fairly inexpensive printer, and they can be had for very little if you wait for a special or hunt for one that is NIB from someone who got one in a bundle. The latter routinely sell for $200-250 here, and I bought mine for new for $250 after a rebate recently. However, this is an 8-ink printer. Also, heavy stock has to be fed through the front, which is slower and more of a nuisance.Can't tell you anything about Epsons, as I have not used one.

Ask RIHAC if they can do ink for you. They do a CIS but it won't work with your i9950 I don't think, but you may be able to fill your tanks with their ink. They're in Australia.