The problem with the inkjet is the cost of the ink and paper. They're also usually very slow, need time to dry and hardly do any duplex (2-sides printing automatically.)
If you need to do a lot of printing, with very bright sharp colors, on pretty much any type of stock up to 100lbs, coated or uncoated or silk or textured, you could have a look at the Xerox Phaser. The stock you can use with these printers is not specific to them unlike most inkjet; you can go at a print shop or order paper from Unisource and it will work most of the time! So that's another huge saving. What I like with them is that you can really try different papers and create tons of original results.
They use a dry ink technology that cooks the ink so the finish is always a bit shinny, is dry as it comes out of the printer, some can do duplex, they're very fast, and depending on the model you choose, the cost per/sheet is worth the investment. They also do full bleed and if you mean 11x17 or 12x18 as large formats, some offer this yes. The paper curls less than with a laser printer. And if the paper curls a lot anyway, that's usually because it's too thin! It's not really an issue I've seen on Phaser or any Xerox.
They are really a better option than any inkjet or laser printer you'll find on the market. They also have a pretty good postscript driver and lot of features to easily calibrate it or create different profiles. I've worked with Xerox for years and if they're well maintained, they awesome machines. If you want something environmentally friendly, it's also a good choice.
The colors won't fade, the print surface is very resistant and if you use the high quality setting it will even look a bit like having a glossy varnish.
By the way, the technology of the Phaser is almost the same as the commercial Xerox DocuColor that is commonly used by print shops. If you like that result, that's what you'll get with the Phaser too or any Xerox dry ink printer.
Yes the price is a bit more expensive than average color printers or inkjet, but the trap with inkjet is that you'll spend a lot of money buying inks and the specific papers anyway. When you start investing above $600-800 with the Xerox, you're starting to have something very good for productivity.
You can have a look at the Xerox, and see what could be a good fit for you:
http://www.office.xerox.com/digital-printing-equipment/printers/enus.html
As for Epson Stylus, they're very good as well but inkjet for production isn't recommended. These printers are better for proofing or for a photography studio, for example.
