diff --git a/include/fmt/format.h b/include/fmt/format.h
index 54e20de7..aadc9b66 100644
--- a/include/fmt/format.h
+++ b/include/fmt/format.h
@@ -1844,8 +1844,9 @@ auto write_ptr(OutputIt out, UIntPtr value, const format_specs* specs)
 FMT_API auto is_printable(uint32_t cp) -> bool;
 
 inline auto needs_escape(uint32_t cp) -> bool {
-  return cp < 0x20 || cp == 0x7f || cp == '"' || cp == '\\' ||
-         !is_printable(cp);
+  if (cp < 0x20 || cp == 0x7f || cp == '"' || cp == '\\') return true;
+  if (FMT_OPTIMIZE_SIZE > 1) return false;
+  return !is_printable(cp);
 }
 
 template <typename Char> struct find_escape_result {