Funeral Professionals are looking for alternatives as Microsoft Publisher, a longtime staple in memorial printing, is being discontinued. For funeral homes that have relied on Publisher to create prayer cards, service folders, and other memorial stationery, this announcement raises an important question: What comes next?

If your funeral home has been using Publisher, you're likely familiar with both its strengths and its limitations. While the program offered useful design features, it often became the domain of just one tech-savvy staff member—the person everyone turned to when a family needed memorial materials. As one funeral director recently observed, "The problem always seemed to be that just one person in the funeral home knew how to use Publisher.”

That single point of dependency creates vulnerability. When that staff member is unavailable, out sick, or moves on to another position, funeral homes can find themselves scrambling to meet families' needs during their most difficult moments.

A Word-Based Solution Built for Your Entire Team

At Hilton Funeral Supply, we've developed Shared Memories with a different philosophy in mind: memorial printing should be accessible to your entire staff, not just one trained specialist.

Because Shared Memories operates within Microsoft Word—a program many people in your funeral home have prior experience with—there is less of a learning curve. Your staff won't need to master complicated design software or navigate unfamiliar interfaces. If they can type a letter or format a document, they can create beautiful memorial stationery.

This accessibility transforms how funeral homes operate. Instead of relying on a single person's specialized knowledge, your whole team gains the confidence to serve families directly. That means faster turnaround times, greater flexibility in scheduling, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing you're never dependent on one individual's availability.

Designed for Professional Results Without the Complexity

Shared Memories offers more than 150 themed templates, each carefully formatted to deliver polished, contemporary results. These aren't generic layouts that need extensive tweaking—they're ready-to-use designs that simply need personalization with family photos, service details, and meaningful verses.

Whether you're printing register books, prayer cards, bookmarks, acknowledgement cards, tri-folds, bulletins, or even personalized keepsake candles, the process remains straightforward and consistent. Download a template, add the relevant information, and print directly from your office printer. No subscriptions. No per-case fees. No waiting on outside vendors.

Support When You Need It

Transitioning to any new system raises questions, which is why we've built multiple layers of support into Shared Memories:

• Video tutorials walk through each step of the design process, allowing staff members to learn at their own pace and revisit instructions as needed.

• Printable guides provide quick reference materials your team can keep at their workstations.

• Personal phone support connects you directly with our knowledgeable team, who can guide you through the program in real-time and answer specific questions about your workflow.

We're committed to making sure every member of your staff feels capable and confident using Shared Memories—not just the tech-savvy individual who happened to figure out Publisher.

The Advantages of Printing In-House

When you bring memorial printing in-house with Shared Memories, you gain control over an essential part of your service to families:

You eliminate dependence on outside vendors and their timelines, allowing you to accommodate last-minute changes and rush requests without stress. You reduce shipping costs and avoid supply chain delays that can complicate arrangements. You maintain complete oversight of your stationery inventory and can reprint materials instantly if needed.

Perhaps most importantly, you increase your profit margins while decreasing overhead—freeing up resources to invest in other aspects of family care.

The flexibility to save templates for reuse makes serving families with similar preferences even more efficient, and our comprehensive themes and verses PDF gives families something tangible to review during arrangements, helping them visualize their options without feeling overwhelmed.

Works Alongside Your Existing Systems

Many funeral homes have already invested in case management software or website platforms that include some printing capabilities. Shared Memories complements these systems beautifully.

Consider a hybrid approach: let your management software handle the autofill elements—service times, family names, biographical information—for the interior pages of programs and folders. Then turn to Shared Memories for the exterior design elements, where visual impact matters most. Choose from our extensive library of traditional and contemporary themes to create covers that truly reflect each family's preferences and honor their loved one's memory.

This combination delivers efficiency and creative flexibility where personalization counts. Your families receive stationery that looks custom-designed, while your staff feels confident in their ability to print.

Getting Started Is Simple

Transitioning from Publisher to Shared Memories requires just a few straightforward steps:

Reach out to Hilton Funeral Supply through our contact page to receive your login credentials. Access the program through our website, browse the template library, and download the designs that fit your needs. Open them in Microsoft Word, personalize them with family-specific information, and print using our compatible blank stationery paper for optimal results. See Blank Stationery

The entire process, from first login to finished memorial piece, can happen the same day you decide to make the switch.

Why We Offer Shared Memories at No Cost

Hilton Funeral Supply stands apart as one of the only companies providing a completely free memorial stationery program to funeral professionals. We believe funeral homes shouldn't face ongoing software fees or per-case charges simply to serve families with dignity and care. We simply ask funeral homes to purchase blank stationery from Hilton Funeral Supply if they decide to use Shared Memories. 

We're continuously expanding our theme library, refining our templates, and updating our offerings to reflect contemporary design trends and family preferences. Your access to these improvements comes automatically, at no additional cost.

Our commitment is simple: provide funeral homes with the tools they need to create meaningful tributes without subscriptions or per-case fees. From blank stationery paper to beautiful finished keepsakes, we're here to support your mission of honoring life and comforting families.

Moving Forward with Confidence

The discontinuation of Microsoft Publisher doesn't have to disrupt your memorial printing workflow. With Shared Memories, you're not just replacing one program with another—you're upgrading to a solution that empowers your entire team, reduces costs, increases flexibility, and maintains the professional quality families deserve.

If you're ready to explore how Shared Memories can serve your funeral home, we invite you to reach out. Our team is here to answer questions, provide demonstrations, and help you transition smoothly to a memorial printing solution built specifically for the unique needs of funeral service professionals.