if you are using acetate transparencies, there lies your problem. YOU NEED A LONG NEGATIVE, NOT A HIGH CONTRAST NEGATIVE. people often confuse the two terms, sometimes using them as one and the same. they are different. You can not get a GOOD PRINT WITHOUT A long negative. a high contrast negative can sometimes look good, but most times all the middle tones are squelched out leaving only toe and shoulder. looking like a salt and pepper print, no pun intended, ( only having two tones, white of the paper and a "some sort of Brown" ) You first have to start out with a scene that has more "stops",say like 10-11. or even 14.