Digital BW, The Print

I'm using MIS UT2 with my 1280, and I'm getting strange results on
tests I've done. I wasn't happy with the prints I'd made with the
Carbon curves, so I made a radial gradient with maximum black at the
center, and printed that. The results explain my unhappiness with my
previous prints. Take a look at
http://www.charles.whitaker.name/CarbonTestResults.jpg. This is on
Epson "Archival" Matte, with paper type = "Photo", no color
management, at 300 dpi.

I don't know if something is drastically wrong, or if I just need to
change some settings. Should I ever expect to print this gradient with
completely smooth transitions, or is some blocking in the shadows
inevitable? Thanks to whomever can help.