I have been using water slide decals from bel inc. for a few years now and with a high quality printer, the proper amount of topcoat and some practice at applying them, i have no complaints.
they offer clear and solid white decal paper to account for darker models
it gets a little tricky when you are dealing with compound curves but like i said, with some practice you should be able to match a production level look.
also, DIY silkscreening for single color is not hard at all, get a frame, some screen, some photo emulsion, and some duct tape and then search the internet for a good set of instructions.