If you need to save a publishing site as a site template you’ll need to add /_layouts/savetmpl.aspx to the site URL e.g. if your site URL is http://sharepoint/HR/ you’ll need to change the URL to http://sharepoint/HR/_layouts/savetmpl.aspx .

Once you’ve saved the site template you can view it in the Solutions gallery.  Navigate to the top level site and choose Site Actions ->Site Settings, then choose Solutions in the Galleries section.  You can use this area to activate, deactivate and delete site templates.  If you need to delete a site template, deactivate it first, otherwise it may continue to show in the site template list when you create a site.