Dye vs pigment for photo books and other questions

[palombian]

How would different quality modes affect consumption? If I choose Standard instead of High for example?

In the PRO 9500 manual the flush procedure is described in detail. The longer the interval between printing the more ml's drained away.

Compared to that the difference between High and Standard is negligible.
I find High better, although slow (and with the old PC magenta you can have banding in Standard).

PS: my son, who gave me the printer, did a firmware update in the hope the high ink consumption would be corrected, but no avail.
Salespeople told me it was taken care of in the model II, what I can confirm.

In your case I would not bother ink consumption now and try first to diagnose the error in your printer.
If it is the print head, and if a new head is a lot cheaper than a second hand model II, buy a new head (rumors the early heads were more fragile do not seem without reason to me).
Anyway you will have a fine printer for €140.
You can reuse the head in the 9500 II, and will have time to scout for one with a printhead error (or better a clogged head) on the cheap .