We are currently using WDS services to deploy images to computers on our network. I was reading something a while back about some software that takes snapshots of the install process that can be used later for deployment. Here is what I remember about it:
You create a vanilla image of a flavor of Windows, take a snapshot
Install every piece of software that you currently deploy, take a snap shot.
Set up printers, install drivers, map network drives, etc, take a snapshot.
When you deploy the image, you are able to select which software packages you want installed, what user settings like printers and network drives, and when the computer gets imaged, ONLY the selected items are installed during the imaging...