Average page size of visual tutorials after optimization

Any experienced web designers know?

[picophd]

Greetings,

Do you have experience with designing tutorials heavily complimented with visual demonstrations? What would be the average *page* size of a good tutorial page that has visual demonstrations, like GIF/PNG screenshots (hopefully small ones that focus on an "enough" area around the mouse cursor), and, of course, which have been optimized?

What is the best program for optimizing images out there, especially PNG and JPG images? My priority, as typical as it is I believe, is a mix of sufficient quality and as small size as possible, with a concentration on the small size, but not to the extent of making the image look un-slick or un-clean, so to speak.

Thanks for anyone taking the time to give advice and tips.

[smokeyb]

Of course you are right in trying to balance visual quality with file fize, as good web development dictates this, however, I have never worried about how big a tutorial page is as it is giving me the service. I have often been a little annoyed at images that are too poor to see without squinting as it defeats its purpose, and wouldn't mind better quality images even if I were using a 9.6kbs modem to view them. I could then at least be able to follow the tutorial accurately if not very slowly...
Smokey