Digital BW, The Print

I have an epson 2200 which i would like to start doing some black and 
white on. i am very new to the idea of black and white in digital and 
would like to know if there is some book or educational material to 
get started. from what i read on this thread it seems very complex 
and expensive. i am an amateur and only doing this for personal 
pleasure. i also have an HP 7960 printer which i guess is suppose to 
be able to print b & w.

thanks

joel