going to remaster MEPIS 11 to make it smaller
 

MEPIS 11 is large enough that it can only fit onto a DVD. (I forget whether it's the first MEPIS version that large; it seems to be that MEPIS 9 might have been.) As a non-power user who doesn't do much more than use the Internet and word process (and that, about 75% of the time with KWrite), I'm skeptical of whether I will need any of the extra software that must be making MEPIS so much larger. So I plan to install it, delete everything I don't need, remaster what remains, and see if the ISO can fit onto one CD. (I would not be surprised.)

There are two ways to approach this, and I'm pondering them. I could start with the full version of MEPIS and go down from there (I also mean to use Trinity instead of KDE 4--that's why I say "down").Or I could install the antiX version and go up.
It depends on which process annoys me more: running to the store and buying some blank DVDs to burn the MEPIS 11 liveCD (not every user keeps blank DVDs lying around, but I have plenty of blank CDs for burning music), or navigating IceWM (used by antiX) when the only window manager I know well is KDE. I'm leaning toward antiX, because I have tried IceWM before and it wasn't too difficult (easier than FluxBox or LXDE).

is there any reason that you could not, just use anti-X instead?.

as this is already a smaller distro.

Because I don't plan to keep IceWM.

There is a Meta-Package installer in AntiX 11 full iso . It has KDE-Lite as one of the Desktop Options besides XFCE and Gnome and KDE Full. Probably easier to go that route.

I am KDE allergic. Fluxbox and Icewm are my preferred Desktops.

There is also

From the main page

http://antix.mepis.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

http://sblinux.org/antix/index.html

antiX comes with a remaster script in /usr/local/bin

http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php?title=Main_Page

Except for rokytnji"s post, I would advise down from MEPIS, rather than up from antiX.

Before you decide, see if you can find & compare the pkg. lists for each.