custom button?

hi squarespacers, i would like to create a graphic as a button. can you help?  i know i can place the graphic as an image and link it to a page but i'd have to create each image with its text as a separate image. alternatively, i could place the graphic without text and overlay the "caption" but only if i could remove the black semi-transparent panel under the text that hides the graphic (can that be done?). also, i could not use this strategy for the header, footer, or forms. it would be best to create a custom button. help? thanks.