Digital BW, The Print

I too have the same old story of:  Had a darkroom, Had film. Now have 
a digital camera.  Want a B&W printer.  
But… I HAVE a black and white printer. It is a Brother HL 2070N 
2400x600 laser printer.  
I have read Laser printers are not as good as inkjets, though I don't 
know the specifics.  Thus, I also have a four year old OfficeJet K80 
inkjet printer, with up to (up to?) 1200x2400 dpi and 12 ppm (text) in 
black and white.
Question(s).  Can I use either of these printers as a starter printer 
for black and white?  What makes photo printers different?  Is the ink 
different?  It seems the ink in my printers is flat.  Do you buy 
different inks for a glossy or matte print?  At some point, I will 
want to take the plunge and buy a nice printer, but not for a while.  
Will one of my printers work to help me find out the basics of the 
screen-printer interface, or should I buy something like the Epson 
C88+ to do that. 
Thanks ahead of time, Ray J