Doremus' recommendation to make sure your exposure index is correct is good advice, but if you are getting good shadow detail your exposure is probably fine. I experience the same problem with VC papers and films developed in PMK--at least one person has told me that I am overdeveloping or getting too much stain, which may be true. However, the negatives print beautifully on graded papers, so that is what I use most of the time. I also get excellent prints with VC papers, but usually have to use a couple of grades of magenta filtration.(posted 8414 days ago)Yes, the stain is a different color when you add amidol--it is closer to brown than to yellow or green, and it does not have quite the same effect with VC papers as straight PMK. You should try it and see if it is the answer you are looking for. I suspect it will help. I add 1/10th of a gram of amidol to a liter of PMK working solution and rate the film 2/3's stop faster. My developing times are available on my web site: UnblinkingEye.Com under Articles, Film Developing Times.