Digital BW, The Print

There have been a number of recent posts about scanning that make me 
wonder if I am missing something.  When I scan, my sole objective is 
to get as much information off of the negative as I can -- shadow 
detail, highlights to the extent possible and as smooth a range of 
tones as I can.  I typically do not play with contrast or even adjust 
the mid tones a great deal, assuming I am better off doing all of 
that in PS when I have more precise controls and a much better image 
to work with.  The Nikon scan software seems to work well in this 
regard.  ( I scan in rgb and convert in ps as the Nikon scanner seems 
to be problematic if set to B&W.)

Should I be doing more than working with the equivalent of levels and 
curves at the scanning stage?  I guess the real question is what 
a "better scan" would entail.


Steve