Digital BW, The Print

I have been finding that tightly toned images or soft (same thing in 
my opinion) are hard to print.  The close tones are coming out as 
flat areas of tone once the curves adjustment acv files are applied.  
For that matter even when they are not applied.  It's also not paper 
specific.

In the print exchanges I have been part of, really good visual prints 
have quite a bit of internal contrast to them.

Any ideas of work-around? or similiarity of experience?  My first 
suspicion is to do a wand selection with wide inclusion and feather 
that selection out about 25 or so then make a curves mask...

I'm using a 1270 w/ VM inks, either sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998 as space 
setting and Photo as the paper selection on either Eclipse Satine or 
Wells Riveria.


Thanks,
Cleavis