Text on button issues

Hello all!

I've just begun using Flash for web design and have run into a problem I hope is easily fixed:

In creating navigation links, I've made rectangle boxes with text written over them indicating their destinations (home, mission, contact etc.) I've applied effects to the down and over events (drop shadow, knockout) and all is well with the rectangle. Unfortunately, when I mouse over the text itself, the effects are not realized. I've converted the text to buttons.

I've been searching for a way to combine them as a graphic and then reconvert them to a unified button, but have done so without any luck. Will I have to design them in Illustrator and import them as independent files (the image quality suffers when I do, so I hope not!). Or is this simply something I will have to deal with when I begin scripting?

Please help!


--Also, on a similar note, I was getting this weird flickering every time I moused over the links when I tested the movie, even when the mouse was stationary. I added 0% alpha rectangles to the up and over keyframes and it solved the problem, but I imagine there's an easier way to avoid the flickering.



Thanks in advance, and hope you all enjoy the holiday

Mike Land