Digital BW, The Print

Dear forum members,

I have recently bought an Epson R2400 printer to complete my digital 
darkroom set-up. After devoting some reading to this subject of 
inkjet printing I got totally confused! Probably, you guys can help 
me:

- I do the scanning on a Minolta Dimage Elite 5400 and save the image 
as a RAW file. When opening it on Photoshop CS, I chose to open it on 
Adobe 1998 colour space (I don't know if this is the most adequate 
procedure or not). After editing the image, I save it as a TIFF file.

- Is it necessary to do something else before printing to get the 
most out of the image?

- It is often mentioned that one should have a RIP in order to have a 
decent image out from the printer. What is that and when should I use 
it? Does this apply to colour as well as B&W? Does the printer come 
with one of this RIP?

- How do I make sure that the colour values are the same as the ones 
that will be produced by the printer? Is this true for B&W as well?

- What is best for you, to use EPSON paper and ink or third party? I 
am used to the darkroom and Ilford produces inkjet papers, but I 
don't know if they are good or not...

As you can see, I am a bit in the dark in this subject so, if you 
remember something else important, please let me know. 

Thank you all in advance for your help.

Best regards,
Nuno