Embed image in a <button> element

If the image is a piece of semantic data (like a profile picture, for example), then use an <img> element inside your <button> and use CSS to resize the <img>. If the image is just a way to make a button visually pleasing, use CSS background-image to style the <button> (and don't use an <img>).

Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/ThinkingStiff/V5Xqr/

HTML:

<button id="close-image"><img src="http://thinkingstiff.com/images/matt.jpg"></button>
<button id="close-CSS"></button>

CSS:

button {
    display: inline-block;
    height: 134px;
    padding: 0;
    margin: 0;
    vertical-align: top;
    width: 104px;
}

#close-image img {
    display: block;
    height: 130px;  
    width: 100px;
}

#close-CSS {
    background-image: url( 'http://thinkingstiff.com/images/matt.jpg' );
    background-size: 100px 130px;
    height: 134px;  
    width: 104px;
}

Output:

You could use input type image.

<input type="image" src="http://example.com/path/to/image.png" />

It works as a button and can have the event handlers attached to it.

Alternatively, you can use css to style your button with a background image, and set the borders, margins and the like appropriately.

<button style="background: url(myimage.png)" ... />