Using images, any less anoying way?

Using images, any less anoying way?

Anyways, designing a menu using them (you know, the trigger images) -- but when i place them down they are accompanied with a disgustingly ugly stretch of the border into the next square

now, my one option i can see is to surround the images with a alpha'd out border, but i don't have the programs to make an alpha'd out border of all the images i need
(unless someone wants to make them for me )

any other options?