Digital BW, The Print

Yesterday I printed an image on my 2200 with QTR (XP) and with 
Ultrachromes using the Epson driver. As usual, the Epson print 
exhibited some slight metamerism and the QTR image did not. What I 
noticed in favor of the Epson print, however, is that it had a 
somewhat darker black and it more faithfully rendered the contrast of 
the 85%-100% range of the image vis-a-vis what I see on the monitor. 
The QTR print went somewhat flat in this range. I've printed a step 
wedge with QTR -- it's smooth and seems to capture the whole range 
from black to white. So now I'm wondering what I can do to increase 
contrast in the darker range and deepen the black. Perhaps a change 
in dot gain or an adjustment curve applied right before printing? Has 
anyone had similar experiences?

Chris Hargens