Digital BW, The Print

Hello:  I just purchased the 2200 and will be doing a lot of B&W 
printing -- in fact I purchased this as a replacement to the 
Piezography, which had simply become too frustrating with all the 
clogging. I am running the 2200 off a PC w/ Windows XP, and using 
Photoshop 6 for image processing.  
   Question: Will the RIP s/w provide any distinct advantage in B&W 
prints?  I've been scratching my head over this, and unfortunately 
Epson does not make it particularly clear on their Web site.
   Also:  Is there any way to get the Grey Balancer s/w in the US?

Thanks,
tf