Digital BW, The Print

Hello again,

I am a newbie to the group and to black and white printing, as you 
will see with my questions, so thank you for your patience!

Do you guys think the grayscale is sufficient or do you have other 
ways you like to convert to black and white in Photoshop or other 
software?  I've downloaded a few free Photoshop plug-ins to convert 
color photos to black and white.  Do you think that these are all 
basically the same, or does anyone have a certain one to recommend?  

Also, I am going to be in the market for a monitor and have no idea 
what I should look for.  I do some color work, but mostly black and 
white.  What features should I be sure to have with one?

Thank you!
-jennifer