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I've noticed that there seems to be different usage for 下さい and ください. Is this
purely a personal preferences or is there an actual difference their usage?

This was actually a question the Japanese people at my work had a discussion
about, but couldn't come to a consensus.
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2011-05-31T23:26:45.357
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word-choice kanji spelling
When do you use 下さい　as opposed to ください
Almost purely personal preference. Also, more Chinese characters gives a more
formal feeling to a document. This has been compared to the way we use
Latin/Greek for formal ("salutations") and Anglo-Saxon for less formal
("hello"). This is easier to see when sino-Japanese words are over native
Japanese ones, but the rule I think still applies.
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2011-05-31T23:32:46.520
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Personal preference, but if it's a written communication, I always use the
kanji to imply formality if I am making a request of a superior/customer/etc.

In the exact opposite way, I use hiragana to subordinates or coworkers to
imply familiarity and a casual "よろしくね" attitude.
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2011-05-31T23:38:20.943
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There is a usage difference when writing.

  * "下さい" is supposed to used when you request an item (Please give me the apple)

  * "ください" is supposed to used when you ask to do something (Please help/teach me, etc..)
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2011-05-31T23:42:59.230
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In my company (Japanese company, I am the only foreigner), our policy is to
always use "ください" for emails, even though we often have to write very
formally.

So I would say it is more a matter of personal choice and consistency rather
than a different level of formality.
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2011-06-01T00:33:54.597
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I'm surprised that none of the answers so far have touched on the actual
source of the distinction.

The rule is: ください when it attaches to the te form of a verb, and 下さい
otherwise. That's why 下さい is used in requesting an item, because it's not
being used after the te form of a verb (それを下さい). The same goes for other verbs
that attach to the te form... the general rule is to write it in kana even if
you would write it in kanji if it were standing alone. For instance, if you
were to say "I'm getting bored of my job", the preferred way to write it is
仕事に飽きてきている, not 飽きて来ている.

In practice, this rule is often ignored and ください and 下さい are completely
interchangeable. In fact, I've seen one page of a manga that was written
entirely in kana _except_ for 下さい, despite it being used with the te form.
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