Digital BW, The Print

Hi.

I'm have some new (to me) toys that I am hoping I can use to produce nice quality black 
and white prints from my 35mm and 6x7cm negatives.  Any help, hints or url's would be 
sooo appreciaed.  I'm kind of lost at the moment....
Here is what I have:
epson 2450 scanner, epson 1280 printer (with MIS ut2 (eboni) pigment cartridges, an 
apple running 10.3 and photoshop CS.

Even at the scanning step I could use help.  Should the target size be 'original'? and then 
adjust the print size when I print from within photoshop (print with preview)?  I'm scanning 
48 bits at 2400dpi and after adjusting levels and cleaning up dust etc, I convert to 16bit 
grayscale.

I read somewhere about using the 'sliders' in the epson print utility, but haven't been able 
to find them yet...any OS X 10.3 / photoshop CS advice?

The good thing about being so new to this is that ANY advice will be useful, the bad thing 
about it is not really knowing what to ask?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Bob