Have a look at the Wilhelm Research website for some interesting comparisons between the fading of Epson, HP, Canon, and IBM. Wilhelm does accelerated life testing (really bright lights which simulate in a few weeks, years of display in a well lit area). Epson is the undisputed champ (24+ year prints, comparable to a photograph or a watercolor painting), HP's best combination of paper and ink will last 4-5 years. Canon and Lexmark tie for last, the best either can do (under well lit display conditions) is less than a year. The Epson 2000P is a whole new ball game, print life over 100 years (maybe over 200). Even with accelerated life testing, it takes a while to get data on that kind of timeframe. If you want some incredible photo quality, go for an Epson 870 or 1270. If you want to do some stunning B&W work, have a look at the Epson 1160 with a quad black inkset, such as Lysonic E, for 100+ year B&W fine art prints.