One of my challenges in developing Swift Linux is providing preinstalled OpenOffice/LibreOffice WHILE keeping the ISO file small enough to fit onto a CD (under 700 MB).  So far, I've been able to do it by cutting features that I consider to be redundant or less essential.  Examples include support for languages other than English, extra window managers, extra themes, command-line-only tools that the average Linux user doesn't use, etc.

Is there a way I can squeeze a given amount of data into a smaller ISO file WITHOUT negative ramifications?

The two main steps that the antiX Linux remastering script (which the Swift Linux remastering scripts are based on) uses to create the ISO file are:
1.  make_squashfs $1: The command is "mksquashfs $1 new-iso/antiX/antiX -noappend".  This creates an executable file on the CD.
2.  make_iso $ISONAME: The command is "mkisofs -l -J -pad -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -b boot/isolinux/isolinux.bin -c boot/isolinux/isolinux.cat -o $1 $REM/new-iso && isohybrid $1 $REM/new-iso".

All of my remastering scripts are on GitHub at https://github.com/swiftlinux/1-build.  (NOTE: I will soon be adding a "z-antix-" to the beginning of each repository name as I switch from an antiX Linux base to a Linux Mint Debian Edition base.)

-- 
Jason Hsu <jhsu802701 at jasonhsu.com>